Red's Girls
by Demonqueen82
Summary: After twenty years, Raymond 'Red' Reddington, Number 4 on the FBI's Most Wanted has turned himself in. The hitch...he will only talk to Elizabeth Keen or her younger sister, Kathleen Scott.
1. Pilot

**A/N Okay I just found Blacklist on Netflix and binge watched it. I am loving Red and hating Tom with a roaring passion. I have found some amazing Lizzington fics. I hope that I have done Red justice. I am trying my hand at re-writing the show with Lizzington eyes and adding an OC-that I think everyone will like.**

* * *

 **Pilot**

"SHIT! Liz! Wake up!" Kit yells as she looks at the clock next to her bed flashing the time.

Liz rushes past the room towards the bathroom, trying to put up her hair as Hudson, their lovable dog follows behind her, whinning.

"I know...I know. Late on my first day..This does not bode well for me." Liz mutters as she grabs her toothbrush.

"Want me to drive you?" she asks pulling on a hoodie over her tank top.

"You need the car?" Liz says after she spits out the toothpaste.

"Yeah...in case you forgot..I need to finish getting my stuff out of storage since I moved in here with you after…"

"After I kicked him out and started the divorce...you're right I forgot. You might as well pick up groceries, I think we're out of milk."

"No problem." she says with a laugh before heading downstairs to fill up some thermoses with coffee before Liz comes downstairs.

She just finishes pouring out the last of the milk into Liz's thermos when she enters the kitchen fully dressed and ready for work.

"Don't forget to take Hudson out." Liz tells her as she butters some toast.

"Yup...out of milk." she says as she points to her thermos, "I made sure you got the last of it."

"You are a goddess." Liz says before looking down at her feet. "Is that pee?"

Hudson whimpers and lowers himself down to look smaller.

"I'll grab you another pair of socks." she says with laugh as she rushes upstairs.

"I got the keys!" Liz yells up as she takes off her socks. She sighs softly as she looks around the house. Two months ago she was happily married, working on becoming a profiler and her little sister had finally found a job that fit her.

Life was going good until her husband, Tom, started the adoption talk since she had told him that she didn't think she could have children. She wasn't ready to become a mom, they'd only been together for two years, married only for eight months. She wanted to wait another year or more before she thought about bringing a baby into their family. Tom couldn't understand or wouldn't listen to her.

Kit had tried to tell him to stop but when he had tried to demand that she convince her into it, it had been the straw that broke everything. Liz kicked him out, Kit moved in and she filed for divorce. She had lost some friends when she filed but at that moment she didn't care. She was just waiting for him to sign the papers so she could go back to being a Scott but if he kept dragging it along she was going to start the process.

"No more peeing." Liz whispers to Hudson with a pet to the head. "Kit will be back to take you out."

"Socks." Kit says handing her a pair of black socks. She quickly puts them on and they step outside.

"Am I forgetting something?" Liz asks patting down her pockets as they stand on the top step.

Kit smiles and holds up her badge.

"What would I do without you?" Liz asks pulling her little sister into a hug.

"Ummm...go insane. I am so damn proud of you." she says hugging her tight.

"Thanks Kitty Kat." she whispers.

"Lizzie..." she says softly as she pulls back. "You are super late." she says with a laugh and they start to head down the stairs.

Suddenly a helicopter goes overhead and two huge SUVs stop in front of the apartment.

"Agent Keen? Miss Scott?" a slightly good looking guy says as he gets out of one of the SUVs. "Donald Ressler. Washington field office. I need the two of you to come with me."

"Ummm...how late are you?" she whispers to Liz trying to stop the small amount of fear running through her.

* * *

Kit sits next to Liz, holding her hand, while each of them rubs her scar.

"Agent Keen? Miss Scott?" an older gentleman says as he comes into the office. Ressler and another agent right behind him. "Do I have that right?"

"I am actually in the process of a divorce and it will be going back to Scott, hopefully soon." Liz says, luckily hiding her nervousness.

The man smiles, "Harold Cooper. Assistant Director of Counterterrorism." he says holding out his hand.

Swallowing hard, she shakes his hand after Liz.

"Could either of you tell us what's going on here?" he asks sitting down.

With a nod to Liz, she lets her do the talking.

"I have no idea. I've gone through the same vetting process as everyone else. I can tell you exactly what anyone would find should they look through mine or my sister's digital footprint."

"What will be found?" Cooper asks folding his hands in front of him.

"Nothing. Liz and I have zero history with Reddington..unless you count my doing a thesis on him for my criminal justice class, that I dropped before handing it in so never mind." Kit tells them not liking the look on Ressler's face.

"I've been told that today is your first day as a profiler." Cooper says looking at Liz while Ressler takes note of Kit's admission.

"Yes.." Liz says unsure where this is going.

"Indulge me, profile yourself and your sister." he says leaning back.

Liz takes a deep breath and she squeezes her hand. "My colleagues call me 'sir'. They all think that I'm a bitch with zero emotions. Extremely particular about who I befriend. At times, I display narcissistic behavior. I will withdraw into myself when attacked. Easily become disconnected. I have a unrealistic and a deep yearning to understand and relate to the criminal mind."

"And your sister?" Cooper says waving a hand at her.

"Do to being abandoned by our parents before she was able to form an emotional attachment to them, she falls in and out of love at the drop of the hat. She also chooses relationships with men older than herself as a way to protect herself from falling too deep. Many of her coworkers say she has a 'daddy' complex. Unable to make long lasting relationships with the men she gets involved with, she expresses herself as a highly sexual being, even though her experience is very low. She also uses her sexuality to her advantage. Instead of becoming withdrawn, she will cling to those that she has been able to make a connection too. Also has a unrealistic yearning to understand the criminal mind."

"Do either of you find it odd that Reddington surrendered himself the same day that you started working as a profiler?"

"It suggests that he was waiting." Liz states.

"Not sure what he wants with me though. I'm just a bartender." she says.

"Why the two of you?" Cooper asks.

They look at each other and shrug, neither one has an answer.

"Let's go." Cooper says nodding at Ressler.

"Follow us." he says as all of them follow after Cooper.

They get back into the SUVs.

"Where are we going?" Liz asks as she pulls her closer. She knows that Kit is nervous and needs some sort of contact.

"US Postal Service. I use to be a sorting facility but it was abandoned and slated for demo about twelve years ago. The Bureau acquired it. Been operating covert operations here ever since."

"A black site?" Liz asks as they get out of the car and head to the elevator.

Ressler scoffs, "We're sentimental, we call it The Post Office."

* * *

She stands with Liz in a small observation station.

"He doesn't look scary." she says softly staring at the man below them. She can tell that he takes cares about his appearance by the cut and style of suit he is wearing, it looks like it was made for him instead of store bought.

"What have I told you?" Liz asks.

"Appearances can be deceiving." they say together.

"How do these work?" she asks looking at one of the keyboards that link up to the display boards.

"Don't touch." Ressler growls.

With a slight glare, she waits until Liz is heading down the stairs before innocently hitting a few buttons, luckily nothing happens. While she thinks it was unnoticed, she looks up to see Cooper smirking at her and his eyes on her hand. She shrugs with a small smile. She turns to watch the show below them.

"Agent Keen, what a pleasure." Reddington says as Liz sits down.

"Scott." she says softly.

Ressler looks at her out the corner of his eye.

"Actually, it's Scott. I'm currently separated." Liz says crossing her legs and showing her bare ring finger.

"Good..your husband was unworthy of you. You changed your hair..good choice losing the highlights." Reddington says.

"Stay calm, Lizzie. Pretend he's some random guy at my work." she mutters trying to watch Reddington's face. He had actually seemed happy when she had showed him her hand.

"New city, new look. Could you tell me why I'm here." she says leaning forward in her seat and cocking her head to the side in a slightly flirty way.

"What is she doing? She's flirting with the man." Ressler mutters.

"She's feeding his ego. You should try it sometime might make people more agreeable to be around you." she says with a smirk.

Ressler clenches his jaw.

"Do you go home often?" Reddington asks.

"Every day..Kit is here and she is my home. Could you tell me about Zamani?" Liz asks.

Reddington sighs, "I haven't been home in years."

"Why me? Why Kit? We're no one. Kit's a bartender and this is my first day. There's nothing special about us."

"Oh, that's where you are wrong. I think the two of you are very special...Within the hour, Ranko Zamani will abduct the daughter of US General Daniel Ryker. There will be a diversion, communications scrambled and he'll grab the girl. He will only be in the country for thirty six more hours. I would move quickly if I were you, otherwise she will die."

"How do you know this?" she asked standing and crossing her arms right under her breasts.

"So both of you use your sexuality?" Ressler asks looking at her.

"Who do you think I learned it from?" she says with a smirk. That was her sister, the woman she use to be before she met Tom Keen. She had never been happier that man was out of the picture.

"I'm the one that got him into the country."

"Mr. Reddingington…" she starts.

"Please..call me Red." he says with a charismatic smile.

"Hello…." she says softly watching the light in his eyes change completely.

Liz swallows the little bit of lust that tries to rise inside her. "Red. Am I supposed to believe you?"

Red gives a good laugh that sends slight shivers down her spine, "Of course not! I'm a criminal. We are notorious liars. Absolutely everything about me is a lie. I'm just a man looking for a second chance and I have a feeling you and Kitty Kat are the ones to give it to me."

She feels her back stiffen when he uses that nickname. She looks and sees that Liz has done the same thing. Not even Tom ever heard her called that.

"All of us have overcome so much. I mean just look at you. Abandoned by a father that was a career criminal, a mother that died of weakness and shame. Yet, here you stand in front of me about to make a name for yourself, about to capture Ranko Zamani. I'm gonna make you famous, Lizzie."

Liz slowly walks away and heads back up the stairs and rushes into the observation station.

"What the hell did you tell him?" she hisses as she brushes past Ressler and Cooper to wrap her arms around Liz. While Liz can't react since both are higher up than her, she has zero qualms lashing out.

"Excuse me?" Ressler says standing straighter.

"How does he know those things?! Private things about our family?" Liz says as she clings to her.

"Why wasn't your father's criminal record in your background report?" Ressler throws at her.

Liz glares at Ressler before looking at Cooper.

"We need to get to that girl."

"This is utter bullshit. He's bluffing." Ressler states.

"No he's not." she mutters looking at Cooper.

"He's establishing value, sir." Liz agrees.

"I have been the case agent on this guy for five years." Ressler argues.

"Maybe that's a clue." she snarks.

Liz tries to hide her smile. "That girl is going to be taken."

* * *

She watches as everyone scrambles.

"One of the agents is going to bring you back to the house." Liz says coming up to her sitting on some steps.

"How did he…?" she starts.

"I don't know." Liz says sitting down next to her.

"He is…" she bites her lip trying to figure out a way to say it.

"Charismatic and shockingly attractive in his own way." Liz says with a knowing smile.

She laughs, "Yeah. Hey, I thought I was the one with the daddy complex." she says with a smirk, "Seems like a good guy for you if you can handle him."

"Smartass…" Liz mutters as Ressler comes forward.

"We gotta go." he says barely looking at the sisters.

"Love you, Kitty Kat." Liz whispers before standing.

"Love you too, Lizzie. Stay safe." she says as she watches her sister walk away.

* * *

She waves goodbye to the agent as she heads up the stairs.

"Kathleen!" a voice calls out.

She turns to see Tom, running across the road.

"What do you want?" she says coldly heading up the steps.

"Where's Liz? I've been calling her." he says.

"Working." she says turning to open the door. Luckily, Hudson is sitting right there, his leash in his mouth. She quickly attaches it to his collar and leads him outside, not allowing Tom one second of entering the apartment.

"Come on, Kathleen." she grinds her teeth at him calling her by her full name. "You have to know in your heart that this divorce is not the best thing for Liz. I mean, your sister and I are good together." Tom tries to say as he starts to follows her.

"Actually, the guy that she just started seeing is much better for her than you ever were or could hope to be." she says with a smirk thinking about Red. She hadn't missed the way the Concierge of Crime had checked out her sister or the fact that Liz wasn't immune to his charm.

"She's dating?" Tom asks, scowling at that information.

"Just started. I mean, the two of you are separated, in fact, she's already started the process of changing her name back to Scott." she says as Hudson pees on a tree.

"Who is this guy?" he asks coldly.

"He's smart, older, very witty and a roguishly handsome. She smartened up and chose a man instead of a boy." she says with a smirk looking at him over her shoulder.

Tom stares at her, clenching his jaw.

"Stop fighting it, Tom. She's over you. Sign the papers." she says leading Hudson back to the apartment.

* * *

Liz stalks in front of Red's cage. She felt guilty for Beth being taken.

"It's been hours. No one has made any demands." she says turning to look at him. "I need your help."

Red smirks, "I'll help if you answer some questions," she nods, "Tell me about your scar. I've seen you rubbing it."

She swallows hard, "It happened when Kitty and I were very young. There was a fire, we were caught in it.. I don't remember much."

"What caused you to end your marriage? What did he do that made you want it over?" Red asks.

"He tried to force his opinion down my throat and when it was clear I wasn't going to bend over...he dared to shove it down Kitty's."

"Messing with Kitty Kat seems to be the downfall of most of you relationships." he says with a soft smile and surprisingly honest understanding eyes.

"Yes…" she swallows not liking that he is getting under her skin. "The girl?"

"You need to stop looking at this like a cop. It will be easier to show you. Shall we?"

She leds him to the bullpen.

Red slowly looks at the boards.

"Well you know what Zamani looks like at least." he stops at one of the photos."Oh..I haven't seen him in years. Nothing to do with 're looking at the wrong guy." he points at another photo. "Miroslav. He's called The Chemist."

He gets cut off by a phone ringing.

Liz quickly answers accidentally hitting the speaker button, "Kitty. It is not a good time "

"I know but your wonderful ass of a soon to be ex finally left after bugging me about the new guy you are seeing."

"Kitty…I'm not seeing anyone." she hisses turning her back to the others when she notices Red arch an eyebrow.

"Don't be mad but I might have told him you just started seeing this extremely attractive and witty older man. I mean technically you are seeing him..he just happens to be in handcuffs." she laughs.

"KITTY KAT!" she yells quickly taking the phone off speaker.

"What?" she asks confused.

"You were on speaker…" she hisses.

"Oops, did your boyfriend happen to hear?" she asks the grin clear in her tone.

"Yes. We'll talk when I get home...and thanks for telling him I was dating." she says with a grin knowing that it would have annoyed Tom to think that she was already back in the dating scene.

"Love you." she sing songs.

"Sorry." she says turning back to look at the others.

Red just stands there smirking.

"You were saying." Ressler says with a frown not liking the look on Reddington's face as he looks at Keen.

"Where was I…. Ahhh. Miroslav. He is a highly regarded munitions expert. Has spent the last two years being a very expensive means there is a banker. Someone moving the money. What do you know about the girl? Her father?" he asks looking right at her.

"You said Zamani will only be here for thirty six hours." she walks over to the boards as he nods. "So it will be a singular event. Sticking to the area." she bites her lip, thinking.

"The Chemist?" Red asks with a smirk watching as her mind goes into overdrive.

"Important..well paid. So what Zamani is planning has to be expensive. An attack?" she says knowing the instant she says it, it doesn't seem right.

"Lizzie..Lizzie..stop thinking like a cop. Make it personal." Red says watching her closely. He was still trying to hide his joy of Kitty claiming him as Liz's boyfriend to the soon to be ex-husband. He hadn't even known that she had kicked him out or stared divorce proceedings. He would have to have a talk with his people about dropping the ball.

"This is bull…" Ressler starts to exclaim as Liz's posture changes.

"He's sick. CIA said that Zamani is carrying the Nipah virus. Dying means he has nothing to lose, which makes him dangerous." she says turning to look at Red.

He smiles internally, proud. "What would he desperately want before he dies? And how does it relate to that little girl, especially?"

Liz looks once again at the photos, stopping at the photo of Zamani's family and the photo of Beth with her father. "The General, her father. He spent time in Bosnia supporting NATO troops. He bombed a chemical weapons facility, poisoning a village. Zamani's village. This is about his family, they died..he lived. Revenge. Pure and simple. He hired the Chemist to build a bomb..Beth a center to punish her father."

Red nods revealing nothing.

"We're on the clock. Let's move." Copper says loudly.

"I have an acquaintance, He's called the Innkeeper, runs safe houses. Lean on him and he'll tell you where to find the Chemist. Find the Chemist, find Zamani and the girl." Red tells them.

"Where can we find this Innkeeper?" Ressler growls out

Red ticks his tongue, shaking his finger at Ressler. "I tell you, I'm going to need something in return. No more restraints or cages. If you want to catch Zamani, he needs to believe that I am moving around freely, in touch with old friends, staying in my favorite hotel in the city…" he lets the sentence run out.

Cooper sighs and nods at Ressler, who reluctantly takes off Reddington's handcuffs.

"We're not going to put you up at the Sheraton…" Cooper starts.

"Don't worry Harold, that's not my scene." Red says rubbing his wrists.

* * *

Red walks around the expensive suite, nodding and places his fedora on a nearby table.

"You know the instant this is over, you're going right to a black site." Ressler growls hating the sight of this man moving around freely.

"My. Homan, good to have you back, sir. As usual, the bed has been made with blankets instead of a comforter. Will there be anything else?" the concierge asks.

"No, thank you." Red turns and looks at Ressler. "Tip the man." he says with a smirk.

Liz quickly covers her smile but unfortunately Red sees the smile in her eyes and nods at her.

"Does this work?" she asks as Ressler hands the concierge some cash.

Red nods.

"Where do we find the Innkeeper?" Ressler asks getting out his phone as she sits down on one of the sofas.

* * *

Around two hours later, Ressler walks into the room, ignoring Reddington sitting across from her reading.

"They found the lab, the Chemist is being interrogated as we speak." he tells her.

"The bomb?" she asks as she starts to collect her stuff.

"Looks like we might have got there before he built it." Ressler says.

"Okay..I'm going to head home for a few. Take a shower, eat..hopefully see my sister." she says standing.

"Fine..don't be gone long." Ressler says.

"Tell Kitty Kat hello for me." Red says with a smile looking up from his book.

She rolls her eyes before nodding, trying to ignore the little flutter that she hadn't felt in a long time.

* * *

Liz walks into the house.

"Kitty Kat! You home?!" she yells walking into the dining room to see boxes of Chinese food and drinks on the table.  
"I'm starved. How did you know that I would be wanting this..." she says grabbing one of the cartons.

She turns to see Kitty tied to one of the dining room chairs, duct tape over her mouth and fear in her eyes.

"Kitty!" she yells, dropping the carton and starts forward.

"No. Sit down." Zamani demands revealing himself. He stands right behind Kit, holding a knife close to her throat.

She quickly sits, her body trembling with fear. She looks closely at Kitty, she has a bruise on the side of her face and it's clear that she had been crying.

"Now...that's a good girl." Zamani says placing his other hand on her shoulder. "Your sweet sister and I have had a long conversation."

"Kitty Kat..look at me.." she says softly reaching her hand out to her.

"You see..I've been trying to figure out how you knew I was in town or how you knew I was going to take the General's daughter. Kathleen here...has been very stubborn. She is very lucky I don't like harming women...much."

Liz ignores him as her eyes start to water and Kitty whimpers softly as Zamani's fingertips go into the collar of her shirt.

"It made for a nice surprise but my boys handled it...then your people come for my Chemist. Luckily, I was done with him, thank you for that. I got out of paying for his services. So what else do you know?" he says plunging his hand into Kitty's shirt.

"Stop!" Liz exclaims as Kitty squeezes her eyes shut, trying to ignore the feel of him grabbing her.

"What else do you know?" Zamani asks as he moves slightly.

"We only knew about the girl...everything else is speculation." she watches as Zamani holds the knife against Kitty's side, slowly digging it in. "Kitty..look at me.." she slowly starts singing "A Part of Your World' Kitty's favorite song from 'The Little Mermaid' when she was little, hoping it will calm her down and help her not think of the man behind her or knife at her side.

Zamani smirks before stabbing Kitty in the side leaving the knife buried in her.

Kitty screams against the duct tape.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Liz yells desperate to move forward but not daring while he has a hand on Kitty.  
"Why Reddington is obsessed with either of you..I'll never understand. My plan will make for so many casualties. You now have a choice. Stop me and save numerous people or save your sister." Zamani says with a smirk as he moves away from Kitty and walks out.

"Look at me..Kitty." she says quickly ignoring Zamani and grabbing a cloth on the table she pressed it right to the stab wound, not taking the knife out and removes the duct tape.

"I didn't tell…" she whimpers out.

"That's my girl." Liz says softly trying to get her phone out of her pocket.

 _"911. What's your emergency?"_

* * *

Pissed, she stalks into his hotel suite.

"Did you send him to my house!?" she screams at Red, who is just sitting at the table working on a crossword.

"Send who?" Red asks looking at her confused.

"Zamani. He was in my home..Kitty...Kitty is drugged up right now in the hospital. Luckily the son of a bitch missed everything vital when he stabbed her."

She was so upset that she missed the flash of pain and uncontrollable anger that went across Red's face or his hand clenching in a fist.

"He put his hands on her. Who knows what he did before I got there." she says finally looking at him.

"Calm down." Red says not sure if he is saying it to her or himself.

"He said that you are obsessed with me or both of us, I'm not sure." she mutters.

"Did he mention the girl or the bomb?" he asks slowly uncurling his fist and trying to put on the air of indifference.

"I don't know. It's jumbled right now with the fear that was is my sister's eyes."

"Think Lizzie." he demands harsher than he planned.

She takes a deep breath, "He thanked me for getting rid of the Chemist. Thankful he doesn't have to pay. Mentioned you. Said his plan includes numerous casualties."

"So the bomb is still active." he says leaning back in his chair.

The sight of him so calm pissed her off and sent her over the edge. Without thinking she grabs a pen off the table and stabs it into Red's neck.

"I just punched a hole in your carotid. Best chance, one minute before you pass out. So here's how it's gonna work. You tell me how I find Zamani and make this right, or I let you die right here. Understand?"

"Bravo..Lizzie. There's the fierce protector I knew was hiding under the calm facade, this is the closest anyone's gotten to killing me in quite some time."

Frustrated by more than likely playing into his hands, she stalks out of the room as Ressler and other agents rush in.

* * *

After spending most of the night in the hospital, she leaves Kitty's room, who luckily slept through the night and will possible be released in a couple days. She heads up to the floor the Red is on, hoping to talk to him, calmly this time.

"Turn around." Ressler says the instant she comes into view.

"Just give me five minutes. You can be in the room." she says.

"You're under official review. You should not be here." he tells her.

"I know..please.."

"You're not here." he says before leading her into the hospital room.

Red is gone.

"Shit…" she whispers as Ressler rushes out.

* * *

Sitting beside Zamani at the Lincoln Memorial, Red stares out over the calm water in front of them.

"How did things go last night?" he asked carefully, his mask in place when all he wants to do is slight the throat of the man next to him.

"I paid Agent Keen a visit. Like you asked. Her sister is a very stubborn girl. Both girls are very attractive in their own way, I can slightly see why you are obsessed with them."

Red licked his lips and tilted his head, deep in thought. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said vaguely while inside the monster was roaring.

Slowly they stand and start walking. Talking about the state of the world today.

But when Zamani mentioned children and targets Red hadn't initially been aware of, he makes an excuse and took his leave, embracing his old friend tightly, and covertly slips his tracker on him.

As soon as he cleared Zamani's line of sight he bumps into a well-dressed man, apologizes politely, and walks away with the man's cell phone. He dials Liz.

"There's a wrinkle," he said immediately when she answered. "Zamani's after more than just making an example he's after children."

"Red?" Liz asked confusion in her voice. "Where are you?"

Red ignores her question. "I need you to tell me more about what Zamani said when he was at your house last night. Tell me everything you remember about him, what did he say; what did you see? We need to figure out where he plans to set off this bomb."

"He mentioned the Chemist, the girl..how there will be more casualties than I thought."

"What did you see?" he asks not bother to apologize when he bumps into people.

"Kitty's eyes full of with pure fear..blood..his hand near her throat…going into her shirt."

"Lizzie...breath." he says trying to do the same thing so he doesn't turn around and take care of the man himself.

"He had a tattoo on the back of his hand..I think I've seen it before…" she says walking around her kitchen.

"He's Serbian Orthodox, he wouldn't have a tattoo."

She notices a flyer on the counter for the the D.C. Zoo. Kitty had been trying to convince her to take a "sick" day and come with her.

"It's a stamp. For the D.C. Zoo. He's gonna bomb the zoo." she says grabbing her car keys. "I need to go Red." she says quickly before hanging up.

He smirks at the phone before disappearing in the crowd.

* * *

She looks around the Zoo and spots Beth sitting by herself on a park bench.

"Beth? Hi sweetie." she says approaching the girl slowly.

"Hi.." Beth whispers.

"Are you hurt?" she asks kneeling in front of her.

"No."

"Are you here by yourself?"

"He said to wait her for daddy and not to take it off." she says quietly.

Understanding slowly coming over her, she unzips her jacket to see a bomb strapped to the little girl. She follows the wires to see a timer in the backpack.

"Please..please." she says stepping away from the little girl.

"Lizzie?" Red says answering. "You find her? The bomb?"

"Less than three minutes...it's strapped to her." she says quickly.

"I have a friend on the way. Where are you?" he asks.

She quietly tells her where the two of them are and hangs up. She quietly call Cooper to update him and hope that he can get Beth's father here.

She turns to see a strange man unzipping the backpack behind Beth.

"Did Red send you?" she asks.

He spoke in a language she didn't understand.

"Oh..I hope he sent you." she whispers before kneeling back in front of Beth. "Can you stop it?"

"Are we okay?" Beth asks softly.

'Yeah..sweetie. We'll be okay. You know, when I was a little younger than you. I got really scared but I have a secret weapon that makes me and my little sister safe."

"What is it?"

She slowly opens her hand and shows the little girl her scar.

"Whenever me or Kitty, my sister, get scared. We rub the scar and we feel brave. Do you want to see if it will work for you too."

Beth nods and slowly both of them rub her scar.

"I feel brave.." Beth says her voice wobbly.

The guy exclaims happily behind them, removing the bomb and grinning at her before taking off with the bomb.

"Wait!" she yells after him.

"Consider that his payment for services." Red says suddenly appearing beside them.

"It's a chemical weapon!" she exclaims.

"He's fascinated. He'll certainly have more use for it than we do." he tells her as the Ressler, the rest of the team and Beth's father run toward them.

Red calmly places his hands behind his head and kneels down in front of her.

"Daddy!" Beth yells running to her dad when she notices him.

Ressler stands behind Red and starts cuffing him.

"We're going to make a great team." Red says looking right at her with a smile. "We should do this again, soon."

She hides her smile, not wanting anyone to see that she hopes that they do.

* * *

"Who was the man you gave the bomb too?" Cooper asks standing over him.

Red just smirks.

"You gave that man a chemical weapon!" Cooper exclaims annoyed. Ressler leans against the wall.

"He took it as payment. That's the price of this business, Harold with people like them."

"You mean like you?" Cooper snarks.

Red scoffs, "Touche. You need to look at the bigger picture. The bomb didn't detonate, the girl is back with her father and Zamani is dead. I think it went down swimmingly."

He was slightly annoyed that neither of the men had allowed Lizzie to join them but part of him suspected that she was either at home cleaning or with Kitty at the hospital.

"This wasn't about Zamani. You wanted the bomb. Our intelligence." Ressler snarks.

"Donald, stop flattering yourself. I am quite happy with my own intelligence. It's more likely I tried to help you in good faith and had to finish the job myself since you couldn't."

"Okay..we're finished here." Cooper says standing.

"You know we should do this again. Besides, Zamani was only the first." Red says with a smile.

"First what?" Ressler asks confused.

"Name on the list."

"What list?" Cooper asks.

"The Blacklist. It's why we're all here. It's a list that I have been cultivating for over twenty years. Politicians, mobster, hackers, spies.."

"We have our own list." Ressler justifies.

"Donald please, stop before you embarrass yourself. I'm talking about ones that you can't find since you don't even know about them. Zamani was a small fish in a deep ocean. I'm Ahab and if you want my whales, you play by my rules."

"Which are?" Cooper says before Ressler can open his mouth to say 'no'.

"I never sleep in the same location for more than two nights in a row. I want a fully encrypted 8-millimeter tag embedded in my neck not that garbage you stuck in my shoulder. I want my own security, I've compiled a list of five acceptable applicants. Pick two. Whatever I tell you falls under an immunity package that I negotiate myself. And finally, most importantly, I speak only with Elizabeth Keen, sorry Scott, or Kathleen Scott."

* * *

After leaving Kitty, once again doped up on the good drugs to help her sleep, she gets home and starts to cleaning the blood. Feeling like the rug is a lost cause, she starts pulling it up and finds a trapdoor. Confused, she opens it up and pulls out a wooden box. She removes the cover and discovers inside a large stash of cash, multiple passports with her ex's picture but different names in different languages, and a handgun.

"Guess this is why he wants back in my life." she mutters.


	2. Freelancer

**A/N Any and all recognizable dialogue belongs to the writers and producers...blah blah usual disclaimer**

The polygrapher, Hatch, prepares to do three exams, two in a black site and one at the hospital.

* * *

 **Elizabeth Scott Keen**

"Have a seat Mrs. Keen." Hatch says showing her the open chair.

"Scott not Keen." she tells him sitting.

He waits until she is settled before hooking her up and talking the seat across from her.

"Okay..are you ready?" he asks.

"Yeah.." she tells him.

"We won't bother with baseline questions." he tells her.

She nods waiting.

"Before last week, did you have or have ever had, personal contact with Raymond Reddington?"

"No."

"Did he notify you or your sister before surrendering himself to the FBI?"

"No."

"Are you in a sexual relationship with Raymond Reddington?"

"No." she says adjusting in the seat, remembering that erotic dreams don't count.

He makes a note of the small spike.

"Has your sister ever come in contact with Raymond Reddington?"

"No."

"Do you know any of his associates?"

"No."

They go back in forth with questions of this nature for what feels like hours.

"Have you been truthful to the best of you knowledge?"

"Yes."

He nods and watches as she leaves the room.

* * *

 **Raymond 'Red' Reddington**

"Have him sit?" he says to Agent Ressler when he leads Reddington into the interrogation room. He hooks him up to the machine.

"We'll start with a few baseline questions." Hatch says sitting down.

Red just stares at the little man across from him waiting for Ressler to leave the room.

"Is your name Raymond Reddington?"

"Yes."

"Are you over fifty years of age?"

"You know that question is extremely rude."

"Yes or no answers only."

"Yes." he says sighing. Really, my age. Out of all the things to ask.

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"

"Convicted...not yet." he says with a smirk.

"Yes or no."

"This is wasting time." he declares slightly annoyed.

Hatch glares up at the man and keeps going having a feeling that he isn't going to answer.

"Does Elizabeth Keen or Kathleen Scott know why you surrendered yourself?"

"First, both of them are Scott. Two, no."

Ressler arches an eyebrow from the observation room at Reddington's tone, part of him wondering if the man has a thing for one of them. It would slightly explain he would only talk to them.

"Before last week, did you have or ever had any personal contact with either of them?"

"No."

Ressler watches as the polygraph spikes.

"He's lying." he mutters looking at Cooper.

"Are you in a sexual relationship with Kathleen Scott?"

"No." he growls. Next person to that ask will be strangled he thinks to himself.

Ressler nods at the small amount of disgust that crosses Reddington's face.

"Are you in a sexual relationship with Elizabeth Keen?" Hatch asks making notes of all the spikes without the man speaking.

Red narrows his eyes at the man before turning to look at the mirror. "You are asking the wrong questions. I am trying to help you. It's your choice whether you listen to me or not, but there will be an incident at eleven this morning at the Decatur Industrial Park. I would send ambulances. You need to move quickly."

Ressler tries to not let it bother him that Reddington didn't answer the question.

* * *

 **Kathleen Scott**

"How are you feeling?" Hatch asks as he sets up the polygraph beside her bed.

"I get released today. Liz is working on the paperwork right now." she says moving slowly, the meds have finally made it out of her system so she is feeling a little stiff and sore. Lizzie had been pissed when she found out what they had been giving her. She thinks that one of the doctors is now scared to even come to her room after the reaming he had gotten from Liz the other day.

"Than I shall get this over with so you can go home." he says hooking her up.

"Just a couple baseline questions, alright?" he asks once he is done.

"Okay."

"Is your name Kathleen Scott?"

"Yes."

"Are you under the age of thirty?"

"Yes."

"Before last week, did you have or have you ever had, personal contact with Raymond Reddington?"

"No."

"Did he notify you or your sister before surrendering himself to the FBI?"

"No."

"Are you in a sexual relationship with Raymond Reddington?"

"No." she says with a small scoff.

"Has your sister ever come in contact with Raymond Reddington?"

"No."

"Is your sister in a sexual relationship with Raymond Reddington?"

"No." She thinks that a part of Lizzie might be tempted but doubts that she would ever act on it.

They go back in forth with a few more questions that she is able to easily answer.

"Have you been truthful to the best of you knowledge?"

"Yes."

"Thank you Miss Scott." he says as he starts unhooking her from the polygraph.

"All set?" Liz asks as she enters the room her eyes on Kit.

"Yes." he says leaving the room.

"Ready to get out of here." Liz asks.

"Sweet freedom." she says with a smile.

* * *

"Anything?" Ressler calls out to the others in the field. They had been walking the Decatur Industrial Park for over an hour.

" _Nothing_." one of the bomb squad guys says over the walkie. " _I've got over two blocks of hiding places. What the hell are we supposed to be looking for?!"_

"I have a feeling my informant is dicking me around. Said we would need rescue units here at eleven. It's now twenty past. We'll give it fifteen more minutes then wrap it up." he radios him. The others around him start nodding.

 _"We got a problem.."_ crackles over the radio.

"Say again." he says.

" _A passenger train just derailed. It's heading in your direction_."

Ressler quickly starts yelling at everyone to move out of the way as the train comes speeding toward them.

* * *

"What's wrong?" she asks once Liz gets into the car.

"While I was cleaning..I found something of Tom's under the floorboards." she tells her as she puts the car into gear.

"What? His porn collection?" she snarks as she adjusts. She knows that there are pain meds in her bag but the thought of taking them worries her.

"I wish. Cash...in sequential numbers. Numerous passports with his photo and different names ...and a gun with the serial scratched off." Liz says as calm as she is able. "Take your meds." she says when she notices her grimace.

"Lizzie…" she whines thinking about what could happen.

"I made sure to get the right type. I also called Sebastian and he thinks when you are able that you might want to join him at your usual meeting plus a couple more to be safe. He also said that he is just a phone call away if you need him." Liz says as tears start to form in both of their eyes.

She leans down and opens the bottle of pills. She quickly takes them and waits for the pain to dull.

"What are you going to do?" she asks getting back to the subject of Tom's stuff..

"I'm not sure. I know that I should report it to Cooper or Ressler but…."

"What about Red? He's not law enforcement so he's not going to tell anyone about it without your okay and he might be able to figure out who did the passports." she suggests.

"May…" she gets cut off by her phone ringing.

"Scott." she says answering by hitting the speaker button since her lawyer had told her that Tom had finally signed the papers and already filed the name change for her as of this morning she was once again a single woman.

"Agent Scott..we need you and your sister at the Post Office two hours ago." Ressler tells her before hanging up, not letting her get a word in edgewise.

"Captain America sounds like he's in a bad mood." she mutters.

Liz bites her lip to keep from laughing knowing that the name fits. "Let's go." she says changing the direction of the car.

* * *

She pulls to stop at the Post Office and gets out just as Ressler meets them at the car.

"Took you long enough." he growls out as she opens the door for Kit.

"Calm down, Captain. I just got out of the hospital a few hours ago." Kit mutters as she leans against her.

"Oh…" Ressler says finally looking at the sisters. "Sorry, I forgot." he says and turns to lead them to the elevator. "Wait...Captain?" he turns back confused.

"Wondering how long that would take him." Liz whispers with a smile.

"Yeah….Steve Rogers….Captain America….all around Boy Scout. Watch some movies or read some comics." she mutters when it's clear that it's gone over his head.

* * *

"You are not going to get your deal." Copper is saying when the three of them walk into the observation deck.

Liz looks at the monitor to see the Reddington is once again in the clear box and chained up.

"That's too bad since the next name on my list is an absolute snake." he says looking bored.

"Sir." Ressler says from behind them.

Cooper turns to see the Scott girls standing there, both have their eyes glued to the screen behind him showing the destruction of the train wreck. He makes a motion and the tech mutes them so Reddington is unaware that they are there.

"Agent Scott. Miss Scott." he nods at them.

"What happened?" Liz asks.

"Reddington gave us intel that we would need rescue personnel at Decatur Industrial Park at eleven o'clock this morning. We searched, found nothing. Around twenty minutes later, a passenger train derails. Over sixty people are dead and dozens more are injured." Ressler tells them.

"You want to know how he knew." Kit says softly.

Cooper nods.

"Has anything been found out?" Liz asks.

"We've ruled out terrorism. Other than that we have nothing." Cooper tells her.

"My turn or should we go together?" Kit asks softly looking at Liz.

"Let's go." she says moving towards the stairs.

"Sir…" Ressler says aggravated as they close the door behind them. "Kathleen Scott was just released from the hospital and she is not an agent. She shouldn't…"

"I know, Agent Ressler." Cooper says cutting him off.

* * *

They slowly walk down the stairs as his cage opens. He looks up to see them coming towards him. Liz has Kit sit in the chair facing him.

"Hello ladies." he says softly his face softening. "Kitty Kat, how are you feeling?"

"Like I was stabbed." she says a small twinge of pain goes through her as she adjusts.

"Are you being careful not backslide? You've done so well with your recovery." he asks slightly worried since she had come so far.

"Red..she's fine." Liz says trying not to look back at the observation deck. Her boss and coworkers do not need to know that her sister is a recovering addict.

"Ahh…" his eyes go to where he knows Cooper is watching. "You are right."

"Can you tell us about the wreck?" Kit asks as Liz places one of her hands on her shoulder.

"Ohh, Kitty Kat. Lizzie, you are rubbing off on her." he says with a charismatic grin.

"Red.." Liz says in a warning tone but a small smile on her face.

He sighs wanting to talk with them more about normal things, "It was not an accident. Have someone look at the list of casualties. They will find a councilwoman from Albany, she has been dealing with cunning and powerful people."

"A assassination disguised as a train wreck." Kit says slightly shocked.

"Can you tell us more?" Liz asks.

Red arches an eyebrow and raises his handcuffed wrists as much as he is able.

* * *

Once again, Red is in the bullpen.

"The wreck wasn't an accident." he says looking at everyone watching him.

Liz is standing next to Kit, Ressler had given up his chair when they had entered the room. Ressler and Cooper are standing slightly to the side while other agents are running around doing their own work.

"The man behind it..is quite..hmmm..prolific. He is responsible for a slew of premeditated killing, just like this, disguised as accidents." he tells them think carefully about how he wants to describe the man.

One of the techs puts up the information that Reddington had asked him to pull up when he entered the room.

"A building collapse in Moscow. A ferry capsizing on the Brahmaputra River, are only two of his masterminds. He disguises his killings in the headlines of everyday tragedies."

"Where's your proof?" Ressler snarks.

"I having a feeling he's getting to that." Kit mutters under her breath just loud enough for Liz to hear.

Liz bites her lip to keep from smiling. Ressler is rubbing Kit the wrong way and part of her is a little glad about it.

Red smirks ignoring Ressler, "His work while difficult to detect, the victims are there. A judge in Ohio, a diplomat that dies in a plane crash. Use your eyes and the pattern will emerge. Over the last the seven years, he has killed more than three thousand civilians, collateral victims of his methods. In all the years that I have been on this side of the tracks, I have yet to encounter another contractor that has a significant impact on the civilian population as him. He's rivaled only by governments and terrorist organizations."

"We've never heard of him, have we?" Liz asks.

"Correct Lizzie. I see someone is paying attention. I happen to have it on good authority that his next contract will take him to New York."

"He have a name?" Cooper asks.

"He's called 'The Freelancer'."

"How do we find him?" Cooper asks.

"Harold..you don't find him. I do." he says with a smile as he fake laughs.

Ressler scoffs, "What the two of you pen pals? You gonna send each other..coded emails?"

Red rolls his eyes at Kit and Liz causing both of them to smile before looking at Ressler. "I don't have email, a phone or an address. I prefer handling things face to face."

"You've met him?" Liz asks stepping forward. Kit reaches up and grabs her hand, slowly rubbing the burn scar as a large pain hits her.

"Once...Kitty Kat, are you alright?" he asks starting towards her only to stop before anyone notices that he moved, if Liz hadn't been staring at him she would have missed the look of concern that flashed in his eyes.

"I'm fine..my side isn't liking this chair." she says honestly, standing. "Since you met him..could you set up a meeting?"

"Smart thinking, I could use his intermediary." he says smiling at her and Liz. "The two of you should join me. Just the three of us, no wires or clumsy agents in the bushes. It will be great fun."

"Wait a minute…" Cooper and Ressler both start stepping forward.

"You want me to make the introduction, so you need to trust me with my source." he says barely glancing at either of them.

Annoyed Cooper nods.

"What fun! Hmmm.. do you either of you have a dress?" he asks smiling at Lizzie.

"Can I just stay in the car?" Kit asks softly leaning against her. The thought of being somewhere that she had to dress up bugged her.

Liz nods, "You'll be my eyes and in my ear."

"I'll agree to that." Red agrees seeing how pale Kit had become during his brief.

"Where will this meeting be?" Cooper asks.

"Montreal." Red tells him.

* * *

"What do you know about passports?" she asks quietly as she, Kit and Red walk towards the elevator after receiving the equipment from one of the techs for Kit to watch over and listen to them from the car while they would be in the restaurant.

"Passports?" he asks in honest confusion.

"Fakes. Really good ones." she says as the three of them come to a stop. Kit leans against her as they wait.

"What's going on, Lizzie?" he asks moving closer to the girls to make sure that they are not overheard. Anyone looking would just see them standing there, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, hopefully.

"While I was cleaning.." she swallows as her eyes glance over at Kit, "I found a box with multiple passports, lots of money and gun under my floor all belonging to my ex-husband."

"He signed the papers..we must celebrate." Red says smiling while trying to figure out how much he should tell them.

"Red…" Liz sighs.

"Who have you told about this?" he asks his tone going serious.

"Just you and Kitty."

"Let's keep it that way for tonight at least. However, I would turn everything in just allow me handle to have one of the passports. I can try to determine who forged it. Shall we?" he turns just as the elevator reaches them.

* * *

 **Montreal**

"You okay?" Liz asks Kit once the car has been parked and each put an earbud in.

"I'm good." she says honestly. She's stretched out on one of the long seats, tablet resting on her stomach and has taken one of her pills to dull the throb on her side.

"Alright, shall we?" she says with a small smile at Red.

"Let's go." he says opening the car door and holding out a hand to help her out.

"Bring me back something good." she calls out after them.

She watches as they enter the restaurant.

" _ **Bonsoir**_." a man says stepping towards Red and takes his hat.

Placing his hand on her lower back, they follow the matri de.

"Anyone asks, you're my girlfriend from Ann Arbor." he says softly.

 _Guess we know what he's thinking about. By the way I am so borrowing that dress._

She smiles trying to ignore her sister.

"Fine." she says sitting next to him instead of across once they reach the table. "Then I should play the part."

 _That's my big sis. Make him squirm._

Kit smirks at the look of surprise that is on Red's face.

A waiter appears before them.

Red swallows as she leans against him. Her hand resting on his knee under the table but visible to those around them."What would you like to drink?" he asks his voice as calm as can be.

 _Let him pick. I wanna see what he orders for you. You can tell what a guy thinks about a woman by what he orders for her._

"Surprise me." she says with a smile curious herself what he'll order.

" _ **S'il vous plaít, pour madame, un cocktail de I'aviation**_." he tells him.

 _Really wish I paid attention in French class now_

She laughs softly.

"Kitty Kat being funny." he asks leaning into her, his lips brushing against her ear.

"Always..how did you know?" she asks curious.

"About?" he asks moving to look at her.

"That she is still in recovery."

 _Lizzie..._

"Ahhh...I know more than you think."

He gets out of saying more when the waiter appears, placing drinks in front of them.

" _ **Merci**_." he says to the waiter picking up his scotch.

 _Ohhh...good choice._

"What is this?" she asks not caring which of them answer her.

"Aviation cocktail." he tells her.

 _It's a drink from the roaring twenties. So he thinks your classic and never going out of style._

She smiles and takes a small sip, "Mmmm, tastes like spring."

"Tell me about your job."

"You know about my job." she says with a smirk.

 _I suddenly have a feeling that this is less a meeting with a source and more like a date. And I am feeling like a third wheel._

"The profiling. I'm fascinated." he says as he lays his arm on the back of her chair, his fingertips just barely brushing against her bare skin.

 _Did he seriously? He did...ohhhh...me thinks someone likes you.._

"Do you want me to profile you?" she asks before taking another sip of her drink to hide her smirk and the small shiver she felt when his fingers brushed her arm.

"Impress me." he says keeping his eyes right on her.

 _Let him have it, Lizzie_

"You're a loner. You prefer to keep your distance and observe before joining but once you join you have a desire to be a the center of everything. You love to travel, it helps you stay rootless even though you want roots. While you are very comfortable here with your glass of Scotch you would be just as comfortable sleeping in a cave with rebels or having a late night dinner in some hole-in-the-wall noodle shop or pizzeria. You understand that tight bonds can make you vulnerable, so you're careful not to have ones that are visible where your enemies will notice."

"Hmm... "

 _Lizzie...something weird is going on with my screen. It just did a facial recognition...I thought it was suppose to be just us._

Liz starts looking around.

"Lizzie…?" Red asks watching her look around the room. He looks over at the bar and notices something off about the bartender. "Is our party being crashed?" he whispers in her ear, trying to ignore the spike of lust at the scent of her.

She nods and meets his eyes, apologizing.

"It seems like you contact it late." she says just in case they are being watched by someone other than Kit.

Red nods and motions for a waiter to come over. " _ **S'il vous plait, apportez–nous une bouteille quatre vingt deux chateau latour.**_ "

"Going to impress me now?" she asks as Red runs his hand down her arm before standing.

"Please excuse me." he says giving her a little nod.

Kit watches as he grabs his hat and moves out of the camera's view.

 _He's gone….I feel like yelling at someone, three guesses at who and the first two don't count. You should come back to the car._

Liz stands just as the fire alarm goes off.

She tries to hide her laughing as Kit starts swearing up a storm when Ressler and SWAT run past her.

* * *

"Could you explain why the hell you are here, Captain America?! It was suppose to be us and Red!" Kit starts yelling as she stalks over to join Liz and Ressler.

Ressler ignores her and glares at Liz. "You let him go." he snarls. "While you watched and did nothing." he says looking at her.

"I let him go! You comprised an asset because things aren't going your way!" she yells at him.

"He was fine until he noticed your people. This is your screw up not ours." Kit hisses at him.

"Sorry we interrupted your date." he snarks at Liz turning his back on them.

She breathes very slow and glares at his back before rushing after him Kit follows slightly behind them muttering under her breath that the jail time just might be worth it.

"He's number four on the most wanted list, Scott. Did you really think if you flirted with the man he would stick around?! Might be why your marriage failed." he muttered the last part under his breath as he opened the door to the van.

Red is sitting there nonchalantly, watching the monitors.

"Donald. My dears." he says with a smirk.

Liz smiles and shakes her head at him, happier than she should be that he stuck around.

Kit smirks at him, waving her finger at him as if he was Hudson when he did something wrong.

Ressler feels the rage rise in him and allows it out. He growls and grabs Reddington's jacket by the labels, gripping it tight enough that his knuckles turn white. "You planned this! Just to make a fool out of me again! You knew that he would never show!"

Red smirks at Ressler, "Take a breath. Do you really think I'm going to fly all the way to Montreal to make a fool out of you and a cheese cart."

He looks over to see Lizzie and Kitty Kat both nodding yes. He doesn't even bother hiding his smile.

Ressler turns to look at them, doing nothing but staring at him and Reddington.

Red removes Ressler's hands from his jacket. "Lizzie, bravo on your acting. Anyone looking would have believed that we were together. My contact was the first person that spoke to me when I walked in."

"The guy that took your hat." Kit exclaims.

"Yes, I left payment in my hat. In exchange, he left us a photo of the next victim." he says pulling a newspaper clipping out of his hat.

Ressler takes in before handing it off to Scott.

"Floriana Campo. The human–rights activist?" Liz asks.

"See. A solid lead delivered as promised. Find Campo, you find the Freelancer. I'd say not a bad day at the office. We should celebrate. How about that cheese cart?" he says with a smirk looking right at Ressler.

* * *

Once again she is laying down. Only this time, it's on the plane instead of a car. They had stopped in New York so Captain America and Lizzie could talk to Floriana Campo.

She and Red had been left with a handful of agents to watch over them.

"You okay?" Red asks looking at her.

He is sitting at her feet, once again handcuffed.

"Yeah..just a dull roar." she tells him looking up from the tablet. She was keeping herself distracted by trying to find something to watch on Netflix.

"Hey..you." Red says looking at one of the agents. "Get her some water." he says reaching into his pocket and pulling out her prescription. The agent nods and grabs a bottled water, handing it to her.

"She gave them to you?" she asks confused, sitting up as he hands her the bottle.

"Lizzie had a feeling that you would need a dose soon and was worried she wouldn't be back." he tells her watching as she swallows one pill before handing him the pill bottle back.

"She worries." she says softly.

"She has good reason." he says rubbing the closest stocked foot.

"I know." she whispers.

"What are you watching?" he asks trying to lean over to see the screen.

Without thinking about how it will look, she turns and places her head in his lap so he can watch with her.

"Hey!" the same agent that gave her the water exclaims.

"We're watching a movie. Be quiet." Red tells him as she presses play so they can watch The Avengers.  


* * *

Liz follows slightly behind Ressler.

"Floriana Campo?" he calls out as they reach the woman. "Donald Ressler." he says showing his badge, "Elizabeth Scott," he nods back at her, "FBI. We need to have a word with you."

The older elegant woman looks at them with curiosity in her eyes.

"We've been given a tip that someone is planning an attempt on your life. Your fundraiser tomorrow night needs to be canceled." Ressler tells her.

"This can not be canceled, it is a donor event. Besides I have security." Floriana tells them with a slight air of unconcern.

"It would be too risky." Liz says stepping towards her.

"We wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety." Ressler says agreeing.

Floriana gives a dry laugh, "No one can guarantee my safety. I have enemies by the thousands... traffickers, cartels. You name them, I've annoyed them with my work."

Liz steps a little closer, "We know what they did to your husband, the things you've gone through. Your work..it's an inspiration."

Floriana's face softens, "Do you have children?"

"No..but I helped raise my younger sister." she says with a fond smile.

"There is nothing more meaningful than being a mother, I was never given that gift of my own children..but these girls..they are my family. This is for them. I will not cancel."

"I know that we can't force you to have our protection but we need your help to catch the man contracted to kill you. You are our only link." she tells her.

"Will you help us?" Ressler asks.

Floriana nods.

* * *

"What is this?" Ressler asks once he steps onto the plane. All the agents that he had left are sitting around Scott's sister and Reddington watching something on the girl's lap.

"Watching The Avengers. Grab a seat, join us." Red says with smile.

"We don't have time for this. Let's go." Ressler yells at the others. His eyes narrow as he finally notices the Kit's head is in Reddington's lap, that the man is uncuffed and scratching the girl's head.

He moves forward to cuff him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Donald. Kitty Kat has finally fallen asleep." Red tells him with a cold glare.

He looks down to see that she is asleep and pale.

"You give her the one to help her sleep?" Liz asks softly kneeling down next to Red and starts running her fingers through her sister's hair.

"Yes..she also had a talk with Sebastian." Red tells her, moving slowly so that Lizzie could take his spot.

He holds out his hands for Ressler. "We leaving or staying here?" he asks with a smirk.

Ressler glares at him before roughly cuffing him and shoving him into a seat.

* * *

Liz looks over at Kit, she would have rather her gone home but her sister was being stubborn since she woke up.

She steps up to the board.

"Floriana Campo. She spent fifteen years with the UN. Primarily in Eastern Europe with small stints in Africa. This is the woman that helped pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in Two thousand. Since then her nonprofit has raised over thirty five million to eliminate human and sex trafficking. Three years ago, her husband was murdered by the Eberhardt Cartel." she briefs Ressler and Cooper. Kit is watching from her seat next to the same tech guy from the other day.

"The Eberhardt Cartel, who are they?" Kit asks still a little annoyed that Liz and Red had knocked her out with a sleeping pill when she thought she was taking a low grade pain pill.

Ressler steps up, "Eberhardt is the most ruthless trafficking cartel in Europe. In two thousand eight, their leader was murdered. No one copped to the killing. So to this day, no one knows who is actually running the outfit. However, we do know is that this new leader is merciless. He or she murdered rival cartel leaders just expand their reach. Survivors tell stories of torture and forced addiction. He or she killed Floriana Campo's husband, and more than likely hired The Freelancer to kill her."

"We're doing everything we can to disrupt the Freelancer's plan. We've worked with Mrs. Campo's security team and have changed her schedule and travel routes." Liz tells Cooper.

"Tomorrow's night event? The location has been moved?" Cooper asks.

"Yes." Kit says at least knowing that much.

Ressler scoffs, "Considering what we do know about the Freelancer, he usually takes months to plan his attacks. If he has something planned he's going to need to pass through our security to pull it off."

"But no one knows what he looks like except….Red." Kit says softly looking at Liz.

"Of course." Cooper says sighing.

* * *

She stands waiting for his cage to open. Red is staring at the wall not looking at her.

"Any possibility of you helping us with identifying the Freelancer. You said that you've met him before…" Liz starts.

"Lizzie..please understand. I want to help you, more than anything. It's why I am here." he starts as she joins him inside the cage.

"What do you need?" she asks her eyes softening, thinking about him rubbing Kitty's head to help her sleep.

"My deal. Cooper has my terms. It's a simple yes or no." he says giving her a smile trying not to think about their interrupted time together.

* * *

Cooper sits in an undisclosed location talking to the woman that will make or break Reddington's deal.

"He's willing to cooperate, give us names." he tells her.

"What names?" she asks.

"He says that he has a list, names that we hadn't even heard of..if we grant him immunity."

"He's not getting immunity. Talk to me about containment. Who knows we've got him?" the woman sneers.

"Twenty six people including us." he tells her.

The woman glares at him slightly, "Hmmm..what about these Scott girls?"

"Elizabeth Scott..the divorce was finalized a few days ago. Profiler, her first day was the same day that Reddington surrendered himself. Kathleen Scott, a bartender. She was attacked by Zamani last week. She was discharged a few days ago." Cooper says.

"Anything else about them?"

"Reddington made a comment about their father being a career criminal, however there is nothing that we found to support that. Both girls were adopted at the same time. Elizabeth was four and Kathleen was around six months old." he tells her.

"Which states that he knows more about them then the we do." The woman picks up the deal that Reddington wants, "His lawyers draft this?"

"No. Reddington represents him in all legal matters."

"What is this private security detail?" she asks putting the document back down and taking off her glasses.

"He gave us a list of five names..said we can pick two."

"Which are the two least offensive?" she says leaning back in her chair.

"Dembe. Ex-freedom fighter from South Sudan. According to our sources he has been Reddington's bodyguard off and on for years."

"And his last name?"

"Doesn't have one, ma'am. The other is Luli Zeng. She's Reddington's money mover, we just can't prove it."

"How would I be able to justify this?"

"You don't. It will be off the books."

"So he'll be our informant. Working towards immunity." she taps her finger on the paper. "One condition. I want someone I trust on this. Meera Malik."

"Done."

* * *

Red smiles at Lizzie and Kitty as his cage opens. Lizzie has his hat, tie and jacket.

"You got your deal." Ressler says stepping forward and starts uncuffing him. "Now it's our turn." he looks at a nearby agent holding out a hand for a folder. "We've compiled a list of the attendees for Campo's event…"

"Lizzie, pictures…"

"Hey." Ressler growls forcing Red to look at him, "I'm right here talk to me..not them."

Red shakes his head, "Is this how the FBI does things, search through a invitation list. This guy does not RSVP."

"Lizzie tried to tell him that but he didn't want to hear it." Kitty says softly earning a glare from Ressler but smiles from him and Lizzie.

"If he shows and you want any hope of identifying him, you need to put me in the same room." Red says with a devilish grin.

"Red..do you want to go to a party?" Liz asks trying to keep the grin off her face.

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

They get down to the parking garage to find two cars waiting for them. A man and woman exit one of the cars.

Red grins as he approaches the man first.

"Hello...please tell me he's single." she whispers to Lizzie.

"Hush." she whispered shaking her head knowing that Kitty Kat is going over her list mentally to see if the man meets any of it.

"Dembe!" Red exclaims hugging the taller man.

An attractive woman comes over to stand next to Dembe.

"Luli…" Red says with a smile before bringing the woman into a one armed hug and kissing her cheek.

"Jealous.." Kit whispers when she notices that Liz had frowned.

"No." Liz says as she tries to ignore the pangs of jealousy.

"Raymond." Luli says kissing his cheek but her eyes gazed over his shoulder looking at the two young women that she recognized from photos. She meets his eyes and sees the joy in them.

"Watch yourself with this one, Donald. She hates men..cops most of all." he says turning around to look at them. "You, I don't know." he says frowning at the female that had joined the three of them.

"Meera Malik." she says.

"You look like CIA." he says still frowning.

"Really? What's CIA look like?" Kit asks with a grin.

Red smiles, "Hmm, attractive but treacherous."

"We'll see." Meera says with a straight face.

Red starts laughing, "This is gonna be a gas!" he exclaims.

* * *

While Kit and Liz get into their dresses, Ressler and Meera meet with Floriana's security team.

"How you feeling?" Liz asks zipping her up.

"Doing good. Sleeping on the flight here helped." she says. Unlike the other time, Liz had told her it was a low grade sleeping pill. Since she knew the other were going to be busy most of the flight, she had laid down near Luli and Dembe. She had woken up to Luli running her fingers through her hair.

"You were okay with Luli sitting next to you?" Liz asks softly.

She nods, "We talked for a little bit. She's not interested in Red that way." she says before putting on some lip gloss.

"You asked her?!" Liz exclaims.

"No..she let me know..since she wanted to know if I wanted…." she blushes thinking about Luli asking her out.

"Oh..oh." Liz says before laughing softly. "What did you tell her?" she asks not bothering to hide the grin.

"That I would think about it." she says shrugging. "Who knows, I might have more fun going out with a girl then I ever did with a guy."

"Okay..do me a favor. Stay close to Luli, Dembe, Ressler or even Meera." she tells her.

"Okay." she says as they put the finishing touches on and head out to join the others.

* * *

Ressler moves over to the bar where Dembe is standing and having a beer.

"You know, we don't drink on the job." he tells him.

Dembe just lifts the glass and downs the rest of his beer before walking off.

* * *

Liz and Red stand at a table that gives them the largest scoop of the area.

"Anything?" she asks as she tries to ignore the pain of the shoes.

"Nothing. Shoes bothering you?" he asks with a smile as he places his hand on her lower back.

"I'm not big on heels." she tells him softly.

"They look good. I suddenly have a craving for a mushroom puff. Did you see which way she went?" he asks.

"Inside with Ressler."

"Excuse me." he says and leaves her.

She looks around. Meera is walking around. Luli and Kitty are standing at a table talking. From where she is standing she can tell that her sister is enjoying the attention from the older women. She looks around and sees that Floriana looks distressed. She heads over towards her.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

Floriana fakes a smile, "Oh..of course. It's a wonderful evening isn't it?"

"What is it?"

Floriana sighs, "I just received word that a shipment we were tracking has gone missing."

"Lizzie?" Kitty asks as she and Meera join them.

"Is everything okay?" Meera asks.

"Oh..so many girls worried about me." Floriana says with a smile.

"It seems a shipment has gone missing." Lizzie tells Meera.

"Girls?" Meera asks.

"More than sixty."

"Is there anything that we..the bureau can do?" Kitty asks placing a hand on Floriana's arm.

"I wish." Floriana sighs. "It's too late."

The announcer gets there attention and each of them wander off.

Meera moves to guard the opposite door of Ressler.

Dembe stands slightly behind Liz and Red, who is resting his hand on her lower back, his thumb rubbing every so often.

Luli stands next to Kitty with her arm around her waist helping her stand upright after the first, she is still rubbing her eyes to brush away the tears that have been running down her cheeks after the first tale from one of the survivors had been told.

"My name is Anya Kedrov." the current speaker tells them, "I've been asked to join my fellow survivors in saying a few words. I spent three years of my life in a nine by nine room. Living in hell, been forcibly addicted." the young woman swallows, clearly overwhelmed. "For all I survived, I still carry a daily reminder. The people who took me, the Eberhardt cartel, they brand their servants by carving their symbol into the flesh on our backs. But as bad as I had it, there is always someone who had it worse. Truth is, it's only through acknowledging and claiming these experiences that we can really put a face on the crime that is human sex trafficking. Tonight, I'd simply like to say thank you. Thank you, Floriana." the young woman says turning to look at Floriana as she steps onto the podium.

Floriana embraces the girl, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"Thank you, Anya." she takes a deep breath as Anya steps down. "Thank all of you for coming tonight. As I'm sure you can tell this is not The Met. Due to security reasons we needed to relocate. Each one of you could have stared home, succumbed to fear but you didn't. You came. All of us stand in solidarity for those that cannot be here..yet."

Red looks over into the crowd and knows it's time to get things going.

"It's him." he says softly in Lizzie's ear suddenly reluctant to move away from her.

"Where?" she asks.

"The waiter. You need to clear the area." he looks across the way and catches Luli's eye, with a nod she maneuvers Kitty from the area.

"I remember two years…" Floriana is saying.

"STOP! FBI!" Liz yells pulling her gun out of the holder on her thigh.

The Freelancer runs into the bar area and goes through to the stairs, making sure to wedge something under the door to give him more time.

Ressler breaks down the door and follows.

For a moment he think he has him on the balcony only to have the Freelancer jump over the wall to the courtyard below.

"I thought his name was the Freelancer not fucking Spiderman." he growls as he fires at him.

* * *

Luckily they are able to stop him, by Liz hitting him with a taxi that she commandeered.

Ressler and Meera with a couple extra agents bring him into the empty laundry room in the hotel.

"I need an ambulance! My leg!" the Freelancer cries.

"You'll get your ambulance when I get my names. Tell me about the Eberhardt Cartel." Ressler sneers at the man.

"I don't know what you are talking about." he cries.  
"Who hired you to take out Campo!?"

The man glares at him before spitting in his face.

Growling, Ressler cold cocks him.

* * *

"Lock it down." Liz tells the agent waiting by Floriana's room.

"It's clear inside." the agent says opening the door for her.

"Try to get some rest." Liz tells Floriana.

She turns and starts to head downstairs to be part of the interrogation.

"Hi Kitty Kat. You safe?" she says answering her phone and stopping for a moment.

"I'm okay. I'm with Luli in Red's room."

"I repeat are you safe?" she says with a grin.

"Ha ha very funny. See you, love you."

"Love you." she says hanging up and continues her walk.

* * *

Meera moves a stool making sure that it's right over the Freelancer's broken leg.

"My friend asked you a question." she says with clear indifference.

He shakes his head no.

"Who hired you?" she asks again as she leans the stool on his leg causing pain.

He grimaced shaking his head no.

"Now my friend there is FBI. Me..I'm CIA. Do you know the difference?"

Once again, he shakes his head. Only this time it's a little slower as fear starts to bleed into his eyes.

"Now, you have a compound fracture and you're bleeding internally, so we're going to expedite things." she says grabbing his leg and squeezing.

"I can't." he hisses.

"Just give me the name of who hired you." Ressler demands.

"Reddington. He hired me." he hisses out.

* * *

She has just reached the elevator when her phone starts ringing.

"I'm on my way, Ressler. Don't get your panties in a bunch." she says not in the mood for his attitude towards her.

"What? The Freelancer gave up a name. It was Reddington."

She turns and starts heading back down the hall, back to Floriana's room.

"He couldn't have. He didn't have a chance." she rationalized.

"The contact. He didn't leave that picture in Red's hat. Red left it for him. It's how he signaled the hit."

She shakes her head not wanting to believe him, "Why?"

"He couldn't get close enough. The Freelancer was a diversion."

* * *

Red sits in a seat in the corner of her room, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom.

"How did you get in here?" Floriana demands.

"Easily." he says with a glint in his eye.

"Where is my security?"

"Currently occupied." he says with unconcern and disinterest.

"All this..it's because of you..isn't Raymond? The FBI?"

"They work for me now." he says with a smirk.

"Why Raymond? I offered to make you a partner. We came to you about the shipping routes. You turned us down not other way around."

He scoffs, "I've never liked you."

"You've never liked me because while you are a wanted man living in shadows, I am in the spotlight being wined and dined by the city's elite."

"Hmmm...how do you do it? How does the devil contend with the angel inside you? Personally, I would have kicked her out years ago."

"You know you could learn a thing or two from me. I'm going to go out there, find one of those beautiful girls. Maybe that adorable non agent or even the agent, kiss her on the cheek and say good night. And then go down to the docks and pick up my shipment of girls." she says with a gleeful sneer.

A look of pure rage goes across his face and for a moment she wonders if she has gone too far.

* * *

She turns into the hallway to find it empty save for Dembe.

"Dembe! Where are my agents?!" she exclaims coming towards him.

He looks at her with a blank look on his face.

"Open it." she demands.

He moves out of the way, uses the key card and lets her go in.

"Oh Elizabeth!" Floriana exclaims the instant she enters the room.

"Floriana…" she says as the woman moves next to her, visibly upset.

"Thank goodness you are here. He's the one that wants me dead." she cries.

"You hired the Freelancer?" she asks confusion and hope that he denies it clear in her voice. "What's the headline going to read this time?"

"Hmmm..Italian dog born with two heads. No? How about humanitarian, exposed as fraud, commits suicide?" he says as he stands, buttoning his jacket.

"Red…" she says softly looking at him in disbelief.

"What have you done?" Floriana exclaims.

"Nothing. However, the assassin might have slipped her a lethal cocktail of the same drugs she uses on her girls." he says honestly trying to meet Lizzie's eyes to beg her to trust him.

"What?" she asks her body instantly wanting to pull away from Floriana.

"She is not the woman she would like everyone to think that she is."

"You're lying." Floriana declares.

"Who's lying, Floriana.?" he says looking at the woman with clear disdain.

"Oh..shut up Raymond!" Floriana exclaims.

She pulls her arm away from Floriana.

Red laughs humorlessly, "That was a mistake."

"So you know him?"

"I..I…" Floriana starts gasping and falls to the floor.

"Red…" she sighs before kneeling down, making sure to grab a pen off the table. She sticks it in the woman's throat to help her breath.

"I have an antidote right here...all she has to do is admit the truth." he says standing over them as Dembe enters the room.

"What do you know?" she asks noticing the look of satisfaction that crosses over Dembe's face as he watches Floriana struggle to breath through the pen.

"Madam Campo doesn't free children from slavery. She imprisons them. She is the largest distributor of enslaved children. She runs the Eberhardt cartel. The woman had her own husband murdered."

"Oh boy.." she whispers torn at what to do.

"Tell the truth, Floriana and I will give her the antidote. A nod will work." he says squatting down next to them, placing his hand on Lizzie's shoulder.

At Floriana's nod, he hands Lizzie the syringe.

After a moment of internal debate, she injects her.

"What is with you in hotel rooms and pens in people's necks?" he whispers in her ear before standing.

Ressler rushes in, Meera and the other agents right behind him.

"What's happening?" Ressler asks taking everything in.

"Looks like she is dying...Definitely dying." Red says as Floriana keeps gasping for breath.

* * *

She sits on a bench overlooking the water.

"You look tired." Red says joining her.

"I am...what if the antidote had worked? You would have been exposed." she says.

"Were you worried for me?" he asks laying his arm behind her.

She shocks him by moving slightly so she is resting against him.

"Ressler just let me know that we have confirmation that Campo was running a fortune through the Kowloon Bank. She was Everhardt Cartel. He and Meera found the shipment of girls. Some of them were….they are so young." she says leaning her head back to rest on his arm.

"I detested everything about that woman. She preyed on the weak and innocent while appearing as a savior to those around her."

"Kitty Kat balled her eyes out when I told her. She couldn't believe that she did...Floriana Campo broke our hearts. I should have seen it. I should have known." she sighs thinking about the box that is currently under the floor in the dining room.

"Do you know what you are going to do?" he asks having a feeling that she is no longer talking about Campo as he rubs his hand up and down her arm.

"I'm going to bring the box to Cooper. While I do want to know why it was there….there is this part of me that wants to forget I ever let him near me, Kitty or our dad." she says taking a deep breath. "Can we just sit here...just for a little while?"

"Of course." he says letting her rest against him.

* * *

Ressler finishes taking off his gear when he notices that he isn't alone in the locker room. He turns to see Dembe, shirtless standing there. His eyes widen and understanding hits him as he sees the Eberhardt brand on Dembe's back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wujing**

She sits with Lizzie at the table looking at the stuff inside the box.

Hudson has his head in Lizzie's lap getting his head scratched.

"I nearly forgot, I need to keep one of them." Lizzie says standing.

"Huh?" she asks confused.

"Ressler and Cooper should be here any minute to collect the box. Cooper did promise that he will try to keep me in the loop but Red asked me to get one of the passports to him."

"So he might be able to figure out who made them." she asks watching as Lizzie grabs a sandwich bag out of one of the drawers and grabbing the top passport out of the box.

"Yeah...don't touch anything in there." Liz says as she leaves the room to find her bag.

"No problem.." she whispers as the doorbell rings. Knowing that Liz is a little preoccupied, she answers it.

"Miss Scott." Cooper says smiling at her.

She smiles at him softly, a little nervous.

"Hello sir." Liz says as she joins her at the door.

"You have something to show us." he says stepping to come inside.

She notices that Ressler is standing behind him, looking restless.

Liz opens the door wider letting them in and showing them towards the dining room.

"While I was cleaning after Kit's attack..I found this under the floorboards." Liz says nodding at the open box.

Cooper and Ressler each approach, making sure not to touch anything.

"Have either of you touched anything inside it?" Ressler asks as he pulls a pair of gloves on.

"I did...I opened a few of the passports. Each one has a different name but the same photo." Liz tells them trying to control her breathing as she rubs her scar.

"It's Tom. Her ex-husband." Kit says. "She showed one to me."

"Sir..you told me that you would keep me in the loop about this." Liz states.

"I will." Cooper says as he lets a tech team into the house.

"Let's go take Hudson for a walk and see if my friend wants to join us for lunch. You had something that you wanted to talk to her about" Kitty says softly, trying to give her the hint.

"Yeah…" she says softly watching as techs move to where she had found the trapdoor.

* * *

Red sits playing chess by himself at the park.

Even without turning around he knows that Luli is off reading the paper since he currently has Dembe watching over Lizzie and Kitty, without them knowing of course. He already has Mr. Kaplan looking into the passport that Lizzie had handed off to Luli a couple days ago when she had visited Kitty and who the man he knew to be Tom Keen was now working for.

A man in a suit approaches, removes an envelope from his pocket and attempts to give it to him. "From Wujing." the man says trying to give him the envelope.

"Not here." he declares without even looking up from the chessboard.

The man returns the envelop into his inside pocket and waits.

"The man I usually use is currently unavailable, mantra sting if you can believe it. I have another tech in mind." he tells him.

"This is time sensitive. Today?" the man asks.

"Speak to Luli about the replacement. If things are in order, we can proceed." he says not even looking at the man.

The man stays standing there, not moving.

"I prefer to play with myself in private." he says finally looking up and gives the man a mock smile.

The man finally gets it and heads towards Luli.

* * *

She places a bowl of cereal in front of her seat.

"You okay?" she asks sitting down.

"Yeah...Cooper hasn't told me anything yet and I'm getting antsy." Liz says taking a sip of her coffee.

"It takes time, doesn't it?" she asks.

"Yeah. So what's the plan for today?" Liz asks.

"I'm going to take Hudson to the park, do a couple loads of laundry and head over to the Post Office. My boss at the bar said that he doesn't need me for a few days, so I'm free." she tells her.

"Alright. I want you to call if things change. Red called, I'm going to be meeting up with him...maybe he has something for us."

"A meeting...or a date?" she says with a smirk looking at the fact that she isn't wearing a suit but jeans, low heeled boots and a nice top.

Liz just smirks at her trying not to laugh.

"I love you." she says with a grin as Liz starts to get ready to leave.

* * *

She enters the store to find Red trying on hats.

"Ahh..Lizzie. Something has just dropped in our laps." he says noticing her enter and heads over to her.

"Really?" she says with a smile.

"Yes, yesterday a CIA agent was killed in Shanghai. His computer was taken. The Chinese were wanting to decode a message that they had intercepted and thought that his computer would help. It didn't. They contacted me."

She looks around him at the clerk.

"Oh, don't worry about Rodrick..he's a dear friend." he tells her, moving closer and rubbing a hand down one of her arms.

"So..we're decoding CIA messages now? For the Chinese?" she asks in slight surprise.

He smiles before heading back to the two hats that he was debating between. "Things are not always black and white, sweetheart."

"I would do the dark grey." she says looking at the two hats in front of him and trying to hide her grin at him calling her sweetheart.

"Hmmm. Good choice. Now, the man that wants this decoded is called Wujing." he says replacing both hats on the counter.

She feels her eyes go wide at the name.

"Ahh, you've heard of him. He's been contracted to take out rival agents even though he's not officially sanctioned by the Chinese. More than likely the message contains the name of another agent."

"Wujing is a myth." she says.

"That's what was said about Deep Throat and... the G-Spot." he says with a smirk hoping to see if he can get her to blush.

"I know the G-Spot isn't a myth, I've found it myself enough times." comes out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

"Really...I'll trust you on that." he says trying to keep a straight face while he thinks that he might just forgotten how to breath and suddenly very thankful that he is carrying his jacket in front of him at the flash of her finding her own pleasure that crosses his mind. "Wujing is quite real and he's hired me. You and Captain America will be able to catch him."

"I see you are using Kitty's nickname for Ressler." she says turning to look at a row of hats behind her while she tries to calm her heart down. She couldn't believe that she had made a comment like that.

"Yes...now I've already sent him your cover." he tells her, smiling when he notices that she is trying to hide a slight blush.

"What is it?" she asks turning to look at him a little bit calmer.

"Carolyn Givins, PhD in Applied Physics from MIT. I told them that you are my new encryption specialist."

"I don't know a thing about encryption. Kitty would be better at doing something like that than me."

"That possible but I know you. You're a quick study. I know you can do it."

"When?" she asks sighing and hoping that she can get a crash course in before she needs to do the meet.

Red smiles at her, "Today. I'll meet you at the Post Office with the particulars." he says before turning to look at Rodrick, "I think I'll take the lady's choice of the dark grey."

* * *

"According to the intel Red sent us, Michael Alvarado, Kevin Wyatt and Bryce Jensen were agents based in China. All three of their covers were blown. Red states it was Wujing." Meera tells them.

"Who's Wujing?" Kit asks sitting down next to Liz.

"No one knows. China has a one child policy, it's believed that Wujing was a second child. So he would have been given away and denied that he was ever born. This man is invisible to his own family. He made a life where that invisibility is an asset." Meera clarifies.

"Reddington is going to get you to meet with this guy?" Ressler asks looking at Liz.

"He told me that Wujing hired him to decode a message that they intercepted from the CIA. Red thinks that it might contain the identity of another asset in China." Liz tells them.

"We should move on this." Cooper tells them.

"We can..however…" Liz starts to let him know that she doesn't know anything about cryptography.

"Sir, I have reservations about sending Scott undercover." Ressler states. "She not a field agent."

"Noted. However, Reddington has already sent a cover with Agent Scott's photo. No one else can do it." Cooper says with a slight glare.

"We're sending her to spy on a spy killer. Do you even know a thing about cryptography?" Ressler demands.

"No but I'm a quick study." Liz says glaring at him.

"Deal with it, Captain America. Lizzie is doing it." Kit says placing her hand on Liz's arm. "Do you need me to see if my friend can give you a crash course?"

"I have someone." Meera says.

* * *

Meera's contact gives her a lesson. Mostly she just needs to plug in a small flash drive or SD card, depending what the Chinese give her, into a encrypted portal stage device that he gives her. The computer will do everything else for her. All she needs is a satellite connection and their tech, Aram can do the rest.

* * *

"Alright," Red says unrolling a set of blueprints onto a table with Liz, Meera and Ressler watching. Kit is across the room chatting with Luli and the tech Aram. "WDCJ, it is a small radio station about five miles from here. It was bought six years ago by a corporation front for the Chinese."

"Wait a minute Wujing has been running a spy ring out of a radio station less than five miles away and you're just telling us now." Ressler asks shocked.

Red just smirks at him before turning to look at Liz, "The two of us will meet with Wujing once we receive the okay. You'll decode the message and send it to your team."

"If I decode it, the Chinese gets it at the same time right." she clarifies.

"Yes." he says placing his hand on her elbow. "These guys and the Chinese will know the name of the agent and the race begins."

Ressler watches the two of them with narrowed eyes.

"We try to save him while they are trying to kill him." Meera states trying to ignore the fact that her coworker is more than likely in a relationship with the Concierge of Crime.

"Red, Luli says that she's gotten the okay." Kit says joining them.

"Showtime, I'll met you." he says putting on his new dark grey fedora and heading out.

* * *

Kit sits next to Aram, the tech that she has gotten to know after the last Blacklister.

"There's only a few more minutes until the meeting, sir." Aram says as Ressler starts pacing.

"Where the hell is Reddington? He left before us. He should be here by now." he mutters.

"And once again, Captain America is in a bad mood." she whispers to Aram.

Aram tries to hide his grin when Ressler glares at the two of them. Unlike the other agent, he actually likes the Scott sisters. Each of them treat him with respect and as if he was a friend. He really enjoys talking to Kit about comics and video games.

Meera goes over to Liz. "Do you smoke?"

"God..no." she says fidgeting.

"Okay, if asked you're trying to quit. This is brand new." she holds a what looks like a nicotine patch. "It looks exactly like a nicotine patch however it is a transmitter with a range of three hundred yards. It's made of plastic polymer so it shouldn't show up if wanded."

"Has that been tested?" Kit asks turning to look at them.

"Yes..she'll be fine." Meera tells each of them trying to calm their fears as Liz moves her shirt so Meera can place it on her shoulder.

"Where the hell is he?! He should have been here…" Ressler growls.

"What are we waiting for?" Red says with a smirk coming in from behind them.

"Let's go." Liz says.

Kit grabs her wrist when she stands. "Wait.." she says standing.

"Kitty Kat…I gotta go." Liz mutters.

"Scott.." Ressler says glaring at each of them.

"Chill..Rogers." she says looking at Liz. "Know your history?"

"Back to front."she says waving a hand in front of her.

She reaches behind her and takes off a necklace before putting it on her. Liz looks down and laughs to see an red queen chess piece on a leather cord.

"Just in case you forget." she says with a smirk.

"Lizzie..we need to go." Red says waiting.

"Alright." she says and follows him out of the bakery.

"A chess piece?" Aram asks slightly confused.

"A queen always protects the king but without the queen everything falls to ruin." she says with a smile.

"I don't get it."

"It's something our dad told us when he taught us how to play." she says with a soft smile.

* * *

Red holds the door open for her and finally notices the necklace.

"That's interesting." he says looking at it.

"A queen always protects the king…." she starts.

"But without the queen everything falls to ruin. A friend of mine use to say that. Not sure where he got it from." he says softly thinking about Sam, moving to place a hand on her lower back.

"Right this way." the man that set up the meet says coming towards them, unknown to them he had seen the look that Reddington had given the young woman and seen him move close to her in a way that revealed much to him.

* * *

"There they are." she says watching Aram's screen.

* * *

"Sorry..protocol." the man says holding up a security wand. "Miss, you first."

She steps forward, an air of disinterest and wanting to get it over with, clearly noted by the man. Red places a hand over his mouth to hide his smirk at her all but making the man having to do his job.

"Thank you." he says. "Sir?" he motions for Red to come forward.

He waves the wand over Red but it goes off near his neck.

"DARPA tracking chip." he sighs completely unfazed, "I was taken by Somali pirates last March. Spent three weeks in a shipping container. First two weeks were a nightmare! Third one, not so bad. It will never happen again."

Once again the man moves the wand over his neck.

"If you by chance happen to have a clean razor blade and some morphine, I'll remove it." he quips.

The man gives a small nonchalant smile. "That won't be necessary, however I am going to need a biometric print scan from your...friend." he says staring at her.

"She's with me." Red says with an authoritative tone.

"I'm sure she is but my orders are to scan all new visitors." he says holding out a scanner to her.

"Fine..what database is this being run against?" she asks stepping up and standing right next to Red. Her arm brushing against his as she places her thumb on the scanner.

"All of them."

* * *

"Shit…" she whispers.

"What's all this?" Ressler asks motioning to the information going across the screen.

"They running her prints." Aram says as he starts typing.

"Can you do something? Intercept them?" Ressler asks slightly worried.

Aram smirks as his computer shows all the database queries showing 'no match' with Liz's prints.

"Done." Aram says.

"Evil genius." Kit says kissing him on the cheek.

Ressler just shakes his head as he notices Aram freeze the instant after she kisses him.

Meera just hides her smirk.

* * *

The man nods and leads them further into the office towards a hidden elevator. "We've made some changes." he says waving a hand for them to enter the elevator. "Oh..your chip isn't going to work where you're going. Wujing will explain." he says with a slight smirk before closing them in.

* * *

"Where did they go?!" she asks watching as Liz and Red's location disappears off the screen.

"I don't know." Aram says as he starts typing trying to locate them.

"What the hell happened?" Ressler demands.

"Ummm...they're descending. That doesn't make sense. According to the blueprints there isn't anything underground." Aram tries to justify.

"Find our signal. Now." Ressler demands before heading back to the front of the store.

* * *

"So how screwed are we?" she asks as Red pulls her closer to him as they start to descend.

"Scale of one to ten...more than I would like." he tells her honestly.

They stand that way until the elevator starts to slow and he moves in front of her and puts on his mask of indifference.

It stops in what appears to be an IT room.

One of the men, looking to be in his thirties, moves towards the elevator as the door opens.

"My friend." he says holding out his arms.

Red scoffs, "Don't be glibe, Wujing. You don't have friends." without turning he motions towards Lizzie, "My associate."

"Ahh, Ms. Givins. Professor Robins only works with the best." Wujing says holding out his hand for her to shake it.

She encloses her hand in his and makes her eyes appear sad, "He was an amazing teacher. I was devastated when I heard of his passing."

Wujing nods as Red moves slightly past them. "I see that you have made changes."

Wujing lets go of her hand and she has to stop herself from moving instantly to Red's side and rubbing her palm against her pants to wipe the feel of Wujing's hand off it.

"Yes, we had to increase our security."

"I'm sure. Especially when four American agents have been killed in less than a year and a half. You've been a very busy boy." he looks around the room. "Nothing gets in or out correct?"

"Yes. No satellite or anything of that nature. Don't take offense. I just can't risk American surveillance. My systems are the only ones that are hard-wired to the outside.

"Could we get to the job. I'm not comfortable being underground for very long." she says stopping the posturing that is going on between Red and Wujing.

"Very true, my dear. Let's get to work." Red says nodding at her in understanding.

"Jin Sun!" Wujing yells and one of his men come forward.

"We were expecting a standard RSAencryption but it appears that this is protected with something stronger."

Thinking about something she had heard Aram tell her and Kitty, she knows just what to say. "The government's been experimenting with better factoring algorithms and have also recruited hackers to get into their systems. It's only a matter of time before RSA's obsolete."

"True." Jin Sun says nodding.

"Is there a place for me to set up my equipment?" she asks.

Jin Sun nods and shows her an empty desk.

* * *

"Nothing." Meera says coming over to stand next to Ressler. Each of them watching the street. "Either our signal is being scrambled or the two of them are out of range."

Ressler scoffs, "I thought it had a range of three hundred yards."

"It does." Meera justifies.

"No...we're being played. The two of them planned this." Ressler says turning to look at Aram and Kit. "Didn't they?"

"Wow..you are paranoid. If Wujing has had this base for over six years, isn't it reasonable to think that he has a bunker under the building."

"She's right. Wujing's strives for invisibility, he would want to be where out surveillance wouldn't find him." Meera says agreeing with her.

"Alright..but what if you are wrong and they are in danger? How long do we wait?" Ressler says feeling like he is being ganged up on. Knowing what he has to do, he grabs the walkie. "All insertion teams on standby. If we don't hear from Agent Scott in the next five minutes, we're going in."

He turns away to once again look outside, he can feel the glare from Kit.

* * *

Red notices something in Liz's eyes and moves to stand behind her.

"We all set up?" he asks placing a hand on the middle of her back and looks at her screen.

 _"NEED SATELLITE SIGNAL!"_ is written there.

"So Jin Sun, do you get home much?" he asks the man hovering by them.

"I was there around two years ago." Jin Sun tells him with a sad smile on his face.

"Oh..that sounds hard. I would be for me, I hate using the phone, you know so I don't carry one. I insist on delivering everything in person. Where are you from?" while he is speaking, her rubs his thumb along her back so she knows that he is speaking to her.

Without looking at Jin Sun, she types.

 _"NO TIME TO DELIVER IN PERSON. AGENT WILL BE KILLED."_

"Yunnan province." Jin Sun tells him.

"That is such a beautiful part of the country." he exclaims with a grin. "I spent a month a a monastery just outside of Kunming."

Liz doesn't look up but types.

 _"MUST ACCESS JIN'S COMPUTER. SUGGESTIONS?"_

"It was a interesting escape from all the distractions of life. Somehow I have a feeling that there are no distractions down here. What do you think?" he says looking at each of them once again brushing his thumb on her to let her know that he is speaking to her.

"I don't see any." she says with a smile while typing.

 _"THAT WILL WORK, PLEASE DISTRACT THEM"_

"I agree." he slowly moves away from her. "We're nearly ready, this shall be a gas." he looks at some of the monitors nearby and notices Ressler's crew. "What the hell is that?!" he exclaims gaining everyone's attention. "If I run into the same problem again after Hong Kong! You know how I do business. You assured me that this place was secure!"

"It is." Wujing says coming to stand next to him.

He points at one of the monitors, "What is that then? That van was there when we arrived and it hasn't moved. It's the FBI."

Since everyone is gathered around the monitors and distracted by Red, she quietly inserts the USB into Jin Sun's computer to get the information she needs.

"Calm down, Red." Wujing tries to calm him.

"With everything that you have done..no one bothers to check the street! You're under surveillance!" he exclaims enjoying the hell out of the act.

She watches as the computer, hoping that the USB will finish with the download before Red runs out of gas.

Wujing moves to his desk and calls someone.

* * *

'Shit. We have activity. Heads up everyone." Ressler says noticing someone leave the radio station and start towards his crew in the road.

"You've been made. Two o'clock. Break it down." he says into the walkie.

All of them watch as the man starts yelling at the crew. They pretend not to speak English while they pack up and head out.

"I don't like this." Ressler says softly to Meera, not wanting Kit to hear him. "On my signal, roll out."

* * *

Red watches as the van drives off. "Unbelievable."

"You see, it was nothing. Can we get on with it?" Wujing asks leaving his office.

Red turns to see that Lizzie is back at the desk, an innocent look on her face and he knows that it has worked.

"Lets." he says giving her a grin and nod.

Jin Sun comes over to her and hands over a flash drive, "The message."

All of them stand around her as she puts on a show. She doesn't fully relax until Red places a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you miss the days of old style passes?" he quibs.

* * *

 _"Thirty seconds out."_ suddenly comes over the walkie loud enough for her to hear.

"What are you doing?" she demands standing looking at Ressler.

"Wait!" Aram exclaims. "She's using the mirror program. It looks like it's one of the Chinese's computers not hers."

"Is the message there?" Ressler asks moving towards them.

"And more. A lot more. Starting to download." Aram says with a grin.

 _"Ten seconds out."_

"All units..stand down. I repeat, stand down." Ressler says over the walkie.

 _"Standing down."_

* * *

"Your target. Henry Cho." Liz says swallowing the lump in her throat as the message becomes clear.

* * *

"Here you go." Aram says as Ressler reads the message.

"Okay. Let's get moving. The clock has started. I want everything on this guy." Meera says as Aran starts typing on another screen.

"He's not an agent." Kit says looking at the information that Aram has found.

"What?" Ressler asks moving to stand behind her. He places his hand on her shoulder and reads.

"He's Chinese-American, an architect." Meera states.

"Why the hell is he talking to the CIA?" Ressler asks straightening and turning to look at her.

"We asked for his help." Meera says sighing.

* * *

"This is good. He works right here in DC." Jin Sun says from his computer.

* * *

"We contacted him. He works for Zhongku and they are designing a new government building in Shanghai. Henry gave us his access to the the plans. Thanks to him, our ops were able to bug and entire city military commission." Meera tells them.

"A civilian. A contractor." Kit says in shock, looking at Meera in utter disbelief.

'Where is he?" Ressler demands of Aram.

Aram does a little more typing, "Here. He left China three days ago." he says as Ressler and Meera rush out.

She wraps her arms around his neck and hugs.

"You are the boss." she says watching the screen.

"They'll be out soon." he tells her.

"Yeah…" she stands up, pulling her phone out of her back pocket and dials.

 _"Hello Kitten.._ _"_ Luli says when she picks up.

"Heard anything?" she asks wrapping her arm around her waist.

 _"Don't worry. He won't let anything happen to Lizzie."_

"Are the three of you joining us tonight?" she asks trying to distract herself.

"As much as we would love to join you and your friends for a divorce party, we already have plans."

"I figured. I'm sorry." she says thinking about the fact that she turned Luli down.

"Kitten, I'm fine with it. I can still flirt with you can't I?"

"Always." she says with a grin before hanging up.

"Hey..I forgot to ask you. Do you have plans tonight?" she asks sitting back down.

"No." he says curious about who she was talking to.

"Liz's friend Ellie and I are throwing Lizzie a divorce party. Luckily Ressler has plans otherwise I might be tempted to spike his drink just to take a hilarious video of him acting stupid but Meera will be there, would you like to join us?" she asks.

"I'll be there." he says with a grin.

* * *

Wujing comes out of his office while she finishes putting her stuff away.

"I can't thank you enough." he says handing Red an envelope.

Red nods and takes it, stuffing it into his inside pocket before coming over to collect her.

She has everything except the USB still in Jin Sun's computer.

"It's time to go." he tells her taking her arm and moving her towards the elevator. "Leave it."

They are almost at there when a alarm starts going off and everything is locked down.

"Maybe you were right about that van." Wujing says as he nonchalantly moves towards them.

"Maybe it was the FBI. Maybe they're not just outside watching me. Maybe they are right here...right in front of me."

Red automatically places himself in front of Lizzie. "Be very careful, Wujing. You know I don't like accusations."

Wujing smirks, "Moments ago, contact was made from this room to an FBI server. My message, that worked so hard for, was sent to the American with ease. And all my instincts say it was her." he points at Lizzie. "I always trust my instincts. While you might be smart my system is smarter. I know who betrayed me."

At this time all of his people are standing behind him.

He surprises her by turning and cold cocking Jin Sun in the face before throwing him to the ground.

She stands there almost not breathing as Wujing mercilessly beats Jin Sun. She moves forward a little bit to hide her face against Red's back. Just hearing the punches and kicks is as bad as seeing them but this way she'll be less tempted to stop it.

She knows this is how this world works, in Wujing's mind Jin Sun has betrayed him.

"Get him up on his knees." Wujing demands two of his workers.

"I don't..I don't understand…" Jin Sun stutters, blood running down his face.

"The message was sent from your system. I thought you were loyal to me." Wujing says getting right into the man's face.

"It's not...not possible."

Wujing scoffs, "You gave them..everything. Files that we have been working on for months. And you just gave it away."

"Oh god…" she whispers, her fingers cling to his jacket.

"Shhhh…" he says moving one of his hands so that it was resting against her thing, just barely touching but was still giving her comfort.

Wujing stops screaming at Jin Sun in English as he grabs the computer and slams it to the floor next to the man.

Red watches carefully as Jin Sun see the small USB among the wreckage.

Jin Sun moves his eyes from the drive to look at him and Lizzie.

"You…." he mouths

Red grabs the gun of a guard next to him and shoots Jin Sun before anyone notices that he was starting to speak.  
"While this has been entertaining, we do have plans." Red says as Wujing and his guards turn their guns on them.  
"You killed one of my people. I need to return the favor." Wujing says pointing his gun at Lizzie, who is still behind him.

She starts breathing deeply knowing that she is going to act unaffected any moment now.

"The instant that message went out, he became worthless. You would have beaten him until he was nothing but a bloody mess before killing him yourself. I just saved you the time. However, I will not allow you to kill one of my assets, I would lose the trust of all the is just bad business. So if you kill her, better be damn sure that I'm dead since I will kill you." he says giving Wujing a deadly stare.

She stands up straighter before revealing herself, "The job is done. Can we get out of here?" she asks her tone not revealing the turmoil that is going on inside.

"I have another way out." Wujing says lowering his weapon.

* * *

Meera finally gets through to Mr. Cho at his job site and lets him know to hide. Unfortunately, he has his son with him.

* * *

"There they are!" she exclaims when Red and Liz's trackers come back online.

"I'll call Ressler." Aram says exchanging a smile with her.

* * *

Henry and his son head down the stairwell but when his son's hard hat falls off he hears someone yell. He moves to carry his son and gets out of the stairwell to a random floor. He quickly hides his son under a tarp.

Ressler and Meera arrive at the site and rush inside.

Each hear gunshots and head of in different directions.

Ressler gets attacked from behind on the scaffolding.

Meera quietly stalks behind a man holding a young boy while Mr. Cho is begging in front of him. Not even hesitating, she fires.

Henry and his son hug each other, tears running down their faces, thankful.

Ressler finishes dealing with his guys, thankful when he looks over at the man that he had kicked off the scaffolding.

* * *

Red places his hand on top of hers as they ride in the SUV with Wujing.

"I can get us out of the country."

"Thank you but like I said we have plans. Just let us off anywhere in the shade." Red says as the SUV pulls to a stop at a curb.

They quickly get out. Stretching, she sticks the patch that Meera had put on her on the door.

"I'm sorry. The deal was to catch him and he's getting away."

"I don't think so." she says with a soft smile as Dembe and Luli pull up. "Do they have their own tracker on you or do the use ours?"

"Call Kitten, she's worried." Luli says to Liz as they get into the car.

"Now she knows how I feel everyday." she says exchanging a grin with the woman.

"Where to?" Dembe asks.

"Post Office. I need to collect my car. Kitty has something planned for tonight and I'm worried."

"Are you okay with what happened?" he asks as she leans back in the seat.

"Yes and no."

He places his hand on her knee and she covers it with her own.

"I hate that because of me he died. I know that he was dead no matter what, you stopped what could have gone on for hours." she says looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"I will always do anything and everything in my power to keep you alive." he tells her brushing a stray tear off her face.

"Why? What's so special about me?" she whispers.

"Everything." he says as she leans her head on his shoulder.

* * *

"Hey Captain America. You do know that you aren't invincible right?" she ask standing in the doorway of his and Liz's office.

"Yeah, I know." he says collecting his stuff.

"You seen Lizzie? I thought she would have beat me here." she says stepping into the room.

"No..speak of the devil and they shall appear." he says looking over her shoulder as Liz joins them.

"Hey, ready to go?" Liz asks her.

She nods.

"Umm..Scott. I want to apologize. I know that I haven't done the best job at keeping my doubts to myself but..you did good today." he tells her.

"Thank you." Liz says

"If you hadn't gotten that message out, Henry Cho and his son wouldn't be alive. Be proud of that." he says before walking off.

* * *

Ressler goes into Cooper's office, closing the door behind him.

"The ballistics on the gun in the box came back." he says handing Cooper the file.

"This...is about to become a big problem." he says looking at it.

* * *

"SURPRISE!" voices exclaim when she and Kit walk in through the door.

She starts laughing when she sees the huge, "CONGRATS FOR BEING SINGLE" sign.

"Ellie.." she says with a grin as a woman that she hadn't spoken to for a while comes forward and gives her a hug.

"I've missed you. When Kit called and told me that the divorce was final, I knew we had to do something special." Ellie says smiling.

"I thought…." she starts.

"Sweetie, no one really liked Tom. I know I haven't called because of work, others might be trusting the shit that Tom was spewing before he left town."

"What?" Kit asks confused.

"Anthony told me that Tom didn't even put in notice he just left less than a week ago." Ellie tells them.

She and Kitty exchange a look.

* * *

Red sits in a large chair, slowly drinking his scotch. Staring at the envelop that Wujing gave him.

He opens it to find a single sheet of paper with 042983 typed on it.

* * *

A man sits in front of four computer, watching the party within the Scott household.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Any and all recognizable dialogue belongs...(Do I really need to state it we're all adults[hopefully]) blah...to creators, writers and producers.**

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"SURPRISE!" voices exclaim when she and Kit walk in through the door.

She starts laughing when she sees the huge, "CONGRATS FOR BEING SINGLE" sign.

"Ellie.." she says with a grin as a woman that she hadn't spoken to for a while comes forward and gives her a hug.

"I've missed you. When Kit called and told me that the divorce was final, I knew we had to do something special." Ellie says smiling.

"I thought…." she starts.

"Sweetie, no one really liked Tom. I know I haven't called because of work, others might be trusting the shit that Tom was spewing before he left town."

"What?" Kit asks confused.

"Anthony told me that Tom didn't even put in notice he just left less than a week ago." Ellie tells them.

She and Kitty exchange a look.

"Ummm..I know I am going to regret this but what has he been saying about me?" she asks as someone hands her and Kitty a glass of wine.

Ellie motions for the three of them to sit down.

"I only got this information second hand, he never said anything directly to me. I think he knew that I would call him on the bullshit." Ellie says before taking a sip of wine.

"Ellie…" she says arching an eyebrow.

"He claims that he's the one that filed for the divorce when he found out that you had an abortion and never wanted to even think about having children."

"What?" Kitty exclaims.

"I know. That's kinda the worst one. He even suspected that you were cheating on him with…"

"With who?" she asks, her hand tightening around the wine glass.

"He didn't say his name, just that the man was old enough to be your father."

"When did he say that?" Kitty asks.

"He was saying that he knew you were unfaithful the entire time after the papers were filed. That he didn't have the evidence to prove it..but he didn't say that the guy was older until a couple weeks ago." Ellie says.

"After I told him that you were dating." Kitty says annoyed.

"You're dating someone?" Ellie asks hoping to change the subject to something better.

"I'm not really sure what we are doing…" she says honestly.

"Liz." Meera says as she joins them.

"Meera, I didn't know that you were here." she says with a smile, standing to embrace the woman. "Are you okay?" she whispers in her ear.

Meera nods and smiles, "I wish I could stay but I need to remind my husband that he has a wife."

She laughs, "I'll see you Monday."

Meera nods and Kitty gets up to give her a goodbye hug.

"Okay, this is a party. You need to have some fun." Ellie says standing and drags the two of them further into the crowd of their friends.

* * *

 **Monday**

 **Lizzie**

"Come in." Cooper says when she knocks on the door.

"You wanted to see me, sir." she says trying not to be hopeful that he'll let her know what's going on with the passports and gun.

"Yes. I wanted to give you an update and also ask you some questions. Could you close the door." he says when she enters the office and takes a seat.

"We are still looking into the cash and passports. The cash is counterfeit, very good counterfeit. Same with the passports. We got the ballistics report back on the gun, unfortunately it's connected to a classified case so there isn't much I can tell you." he tells her.

She feels as if she can't breath as she wonders if there was anything truthful about her and Tom.

"Are you alright?" he asks watching as her face paled.

"Yeah...you had questions." she says trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Do you remember if you were with your husband during the week of June twenty third last year?"

"Ummmm..June of last year." she bites the inside her cheek, thinking. "I think we were in Boston.I would need to check to be sure."

"Boston?" he asks.

"Yeah, uh I think it was the week we went away since Tom had a job interview." she tells him, rubbing her scar.

"Were you together the entire time?" he asks making notes on the pad in front of him.

"The day he had his interview, I wasn't with him at all. He left before I woke up and got back to the hotel late that night. Otherwise we were together." she tells him.

"Alright. I understand you're testifying today." he asks.

"Yes..Hector Lorca." she says suddenly thankful for the change of subject.

"Okay. Thank you and good luck." he says standing.

"Umm..I found out from a friend that Tom has left town. I don't know where he is."

"We'll find him."he says with sincerity.

She smiles and heads back to her office.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She sits on the ground, throwing a ball for Hudson to bring back to her.

Sebastian sits next to her.

"How are you feeling?" the older gentleman asks.

"Doing okay. Taking it one day at a time. Lizzie made sure that all my meds are low dose and she had Red…"

"Red? That the boyfriend?" he asks the name still sparking a thought in his head.

"I have a feeling that Lizzie would like him to be but I think she might need a little push." she tells him as Hudson comes to lay down next to her after dropping the ball at her feet.

"Liz has court today?" Sebastian asks.

"Are you reporting back to dad?" she asks with a grin.

When she had first started abusing her pain medication, Sam, her and Lizzie's adoptive father, had called an old buddy that he knew to help.

Sebastian had helped her, Lizzie and Sam deal with the first few days of detox and helped her see that she had a problem.

He took her and Lizzie to her first meeting, he was the one that had introduced her to her first sponsor but to this day she will still call him before her sponsor.

"No, Kit. You know I wouldn't do that. I just know that this case worried both you when it happened." he says to her.

"Yeah…" she says softly playing with the pawn, rook and knight chess pieces charm bracelet.

"She wearing the queen?" he asks.

She nods.

"Kitty Kat…" a voice calls behind them. She turns to see Red and Dembe walking towards them.

"Hey." she says with a smile as Hudson rushes over to them.

"Heel." Red says with authority, making Hudson stop and sit, waiting for him to come over and pet him. "Good boy."

"What's going on?" she asks as the two of them stand there.

"Waiting for your sister. She should be meeting me here very soon. I don't believe we've met." Red says looking at Sebastian.

She laughs softly, "Red this is Sebastian. I told you about him."

Red nods and holds out his hand as she and Sebastian get to their feet.

Sebastian grips his hand hard and squeezes.

"Sebastian, this is Red. Lizzie's friend." she says with smirk.

"Yours as well, Kitty Kat. Nice to meet you." Red says, his face not revealing the turmoil inside.

"Likewise." Sebastian says a frown on his face.

"Lizzie's meeting you? She has court today." she says slightly confused.

Red arches an eyebrow at Sebastian and each release the other.

"I have some information for her. I'll see you later." he says smiling at her before nodding at Sebastian and walks off.

Dembe right behind him.

"How did they meet?" Sebastian asks, instantly in soldier mode.

"Work." she says as she collects her stuff.

"I see. I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to get back to work." he says smiling at her.

"Okay..I'll see you at a meeting?" she asks.

"Of course." he says before turning and heading in the same direction that Red had gone off in.

* * *

 **Red**

"Stand down, Dembe." he says hearing footsteps behind them.

"You better have a damn good reason for being here." Sebastian growls spinning him around and grabbing him by the labels of his jacket.

"Hello Sebastian..how's the family?" he says grabbing Sebastian's wrists and removing his hands from his jacket.

"You son of a bitch. You swore to him that as long as you were updated periodically that you would stay away from them. Those girls do not need you in their life." Sebastian declares.

"Things change." he says trying not show any sort of feelings that could be used against him.

"How do you think Sam is going to react when he finds out you are putting moves on Lizzie? Or have you somehow already talked your way into her bed now that she is divorced?" Sebastian growls at him.

A look of pure rage flashes across his face as he laughs humorously, "You and I both know that there is no talking Lizzie into anything. I wonder though, why did you or Sam allow Tom Keen any where near her? Let alone, approved her marrying the man?"

"Little fucker wormed his way into Sam liking him. Anything I had to say about him went in one ear and out the other. Funny, you are an improvement." Sebastian says looking over at Dembe. "Just do me a favor, keep that one away from Kitty. One of them dating a guy old enough to be her dad is bad enough."

He laughs at the look of utter fear that crosses Dembe's face. "Don't worry. He doesn't see her that way...besides I think he's scared that one of Kitty's admirers might murder him in his sleep if it even crossed his mind."

* * *

 **Lizzie & Red**

She slowly makes her way to one of the benches near Red.

"Don't forget, you have somewhere to be at noon… and I'm not scared of them." Dembe tells him under his breath with a slight frown.

"I am aware. Why don't you head to the car, I'll be there soon." he says with a grin as Dembe nods and walks off, nodding at Lizzie as he passes her.

She sits down next to him, placing her suit jacket across her lap and takes out her phone.

"I do have court today." she says setting her alarm before putting the phone into one of her pockets.

"I know. Hector Lorca. Your work lead to his arrest and indictment." he says folding the newspaper and setting it next to him.

"It felt good to get him off the streets but it was nerve racking, the timing was extremely bad."

"I'm sorry to say that your case is about to go sideways." he apologizes.

She sits up straighter and turns to look at him, "What's going on?"

"Lorca's people have reached out to me. Usually I would have ignored them, I despise thugs that masquerade as drug lords but he matters to you."

She places her hand on top of his, and intertwined her fingers with his. Anyone walking by would assume that they were a couple. His thumb brushed over her wrist and she felt slight tremors go through her.

She sighs softly, "What does he want?"

"A new identity. The works, passport, bank account, credit cards and transport out of the country. He also wants me to make the introductions so he can reestablish himself somewhere else."

"When does he want this?"

"By tomorrow, for some reason, Lorca truly think that he will be a free man."

"Prosecution has a witness that has him cold. I don't...get it." she says leaning forward, reluctantly pulling her hand away from his to clasp them in front of her.

He places his hand on her back, rubbing small circles. "I don't know what but something is going to happen, Lizzie. Your day in court isn't going to go as planned."

She nods, "I'll see if Ressler can be at the courthouse. It never hurts to extra eyes."

He nods and smiles before standing.

"I'm a phone call away." he says before walking away to where Dembe is waiting for him with the car.

* * *

 **Lizzie  
** She sits with Ressler as the prosecutor tells the jury about the victims.

Over one hundred and six victims in the course of six years. That was including witnesses that were scheduled to testify against him, their families and law enforcement. To this day not one body had been found.

She was starting to question the man on the stand when one of the jurors suddenly started choking.

While she goes with the marshals to protect the witness, Ressler follows after Lorca. To make sure the man is contained.  
After promises to make sure the man's wife is okay, she leaves him with the marshals and heads down to the lobby.

"Scott.." Ressler starts coming up to her at the bottom of the steps. "Lorca is secure but I overheard the EMT. That heart attack was chemically induced. I called Cooper he is having techs come down to start checking all the drinks that the jurors had this morning."

She feels a sense of dread come over her and rushes back to where she left the witness.  
They find an empty room save for a dead marshall.

"Out back." Ressler says rushing to the back stairs that lead out the building.

There isn't a sign of anything.

"Shit." she mutters under her breath.

* * *

 **Red**

He sits on the steps of his plane watching as the gun trader and his cohorts inspect the guns that he is going to sell them while Luli counts the money.

Dembe of course is standing right next to him.

"These are lighter, better for tracking. I know that your client will approve."

Dembe pulls the phone out of his pocket when it starts ringing.

"It's her." Dembe says being careful not to allow the buyer hear him say a says and holds the phone out to him.

He takes the phone and starts to walk to where the buyer can't hear him.

Being the nervous nelly that the man is the buyer reaches for the gun at his waist.

He smirks when he notices. "There's some of those in there too." he tells the man motioning to the guns on the floor in cases as he passes him. "My dear, I am a little tied up right now. Can this wait?"

 _"Where are you?"_

"Currently, I am in Haiti."

 _"Keeping up appearances? Okay, Lorca's people did they tell you what they had planned?"_

"No. What has happened?" he asks nodding at Luli and Dembe that it's time to finish this deal up.

 _"The witness is gone."_

"I don't know any more than I told you,Lizzie." he says regretful that he didn't have more for her.

 _"Dammit. And now we'll never find him. Lorca's victims have a way of completely disappearing. There are hundreds of families that don't even have a body to bury."_

"Hundreds? And no bodies?" he asked.

 _"That mean something to you."_

"Possible. I'll get back to you soon. Go home, Lizzie. Pour yourself some wine and let Kitty pamper you. You know she'll need to."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Here." Kitty says handing her a second glass of wine.

"Thanks.." she says as Kittys sits down next her with a beer.

"Stargate or RENT? Which are you in the mood for?" Kitty asks grabbing the remote.

"RENT. I need a good cry." she says leaning her head back.

"Does this mean that Lorca will get away with everything?" Kitty asks when Angel appears in her Santa outfit.

"I hope not...but without the witness.." she lets the sentence go unfinished.

Kitty bites her lip trying to pay attention to the movie.

"This day has been hell. The only good things about it was actually being able to sit in the park with Red for a little while without worrying how it looks to everyone else and enjoying a movie with you." she admits taking a sip of her drink, softly singing along with the movie.

"So the gun is tied to a crime that you can't be given anything about." Kitty asks as the final song starts.

She nods, "Can you get me the laptop?" she asks the instant the song ends and the credits start.

Kitty nods and hands it to her.

"What are you looking up?" Kitty asks.

"Cooper asked if I was with he who shall not be named during the week of June twenty third last year. I think the two of us were in Boston." she tells her.

"I think so but I could be wrong." Kitty says with a grin.

She searches through the computer until she comes to a folder dated June twenty third. She opens it to find photos of herself and the ex.

"I was right." she says turning to show Kitty.

Kitty rolls her eyes. "You know your smile looks forced in most of those photos. I think you even knew then that he was wrong for you."

She grins, "Possible."

Kitty grabs her phone when it starts ringing, "Lizzie Scott's phone."

She motions her hand out for the phone glaring at her sister.

"Hey Captain. Here she is." Kitty says with a grin giving up the phone.

"What's going on, Ressler." she asks slightly sobering.

 _"We found where Pena was taken."_

* * *

 **Lizzie  
** "Stay here." she tells Kitty as she gets out of the car. Unfortunately, she had to have Kitty drive her since she had a slight buzz thanks to the couple glasses wine. She crosses the crime scene rape and heads right to where Meera and Ressler are waiting for her.

"What do we know?" she asks them.

"One of the eyewitnesses from the courthouse remembered seeing a white van leaving at the time we figured Pena was taken. Some patrol officers found it abandoned ten blocks from here. Aram checked the traffic cams and found the switch car. He put out a BOLO. Local uniforms got a hit. Desk clerk remembers seeing a large duffel bag being brought into the room." Ressler tells her.

"Forensic are annoyed." Meers tells her.

"Why?"

"For one, there isn't any sign that Pena was even in the room. Right now, the only hair they found more than likely belongs to the dog that the clerk said the suspect had with him. Two, the place is wiped clean. It's a motel room there should be prints. There's nothing save the traces of adhesive on the walls."

"So he put a tarp or plastic up to make sure there wasn't any proof he was here?" she asks slightly confused.  
Meera and Ressler both give her the same look of frustration as she heads toward the room being careful not to interrupt the techs.

"Lizzie…" Kitty yells from the crime scene tape trying to get her attention.

"What's up?" she asks as Kitty her phone to her.

"It's Red. You forgot your phone." Kitty tells her.

"Please tell me that you thought of something." she says hoping.

 _"Possible. Where are you right now, my dear?"_

"At the crime scene or what we think is the crime scene." she clarifies as she walks into the room.

 _"There's not much to be found, is there?"_

"Yeah and it's frustrating everyone."

 _"Duct tape or adhesive residue on the walls?"_

"Yes….Red?"

 _"Look in the tub and run your finger along the drain. Is there a chemical smell?"_

She does what he asks ignoring the pissed off looks from the techs. "Yes."

 _"Sweetheart, you are going to need a plumber."_

"Why?"

 _"The Stewmaker is in town. Go home get a get night sleep. I'll be in DC soon."_

* * *

 **Kitty  
** The next morning, she sits with Aram while Red stands in the bullpen. Lizzie is standing near him. While Ressler, Cooper and Meera stand off to the side. Without looking she knows that Dembe is off at the side with Luli getting ready to watch the show that Red is about to do.

"The Stewmaker. A true blacklister. He is who you contact should one have a certain disposal problem. He is a chemical expert that turns his victims into a chemical stew, thus the name. No DNA. There is nothing left, he makes problems literally disappear. However it's not just his tradecraft that gets him on the list. He is a trophy collector. _**Memori morti**_." he all but whispers the final piece in Lizzie's ear as he moves close to her. From here she can see Lizzie shiver slightly.

Cooper coughs causing him to move away from Lizzie.

She has to bite her lip at the look on her sister's face. She is trying to hide the enjoyment of that, she knows it.

"Yes…" Red says giving a smirk. "You've lost your witness and the case. The Stewmaker is the key to so much more. He has served the needs of anyone with a need and means to pay. He knows where all the bodies are buried. The answers to hundreds of unsolved murders."

"How do we get him?" Ressler asks.

"I don't know who he is or where his operation base is. Believe me, I've tried." Red tells them.

Unlike everyone else she notice that he lowers his hand to rest it near Lizzie's. If she hadn't been watching she would have missed seeing Lizzie's thumb brush against the back of his hand.

"We should try Lorca. He at least knows how to make contact." Lizzie says moving away from Red.

"Should someone, not you. Talk to him." she says looking at Meera and Ressler, almost pleading with them not to allow that man near Lizzie.

"Lizzie is right Lorca might share the information. The Stewmaker is in town but who knows for how long. However Kitty has a point, perhaps someone besides Lizzie should be do that questioning." he says looking at each of them.

"I'll talk to him but Liz should be in the room. Show Lorca that he's nothing but a speck want information form." Meera says grinning at Liz.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She stands against the door, looking uninterested as Meera starts her interrogation.

"We know about the Stewmaker. We know Luis Pena is dead. Cooperate and we can talk plea deal."

"My client has no idea what you are talking about." the lawyer snarks as Lorca leans back in his chair glaring at her and Meera.

"Mr. Pena's safety is on you not me. I had nothing to do with you losing him." Lorca says staring right at her, ignoring Meera.

"The government is dropping this case…." Meera states before grinning smugly at Lorca, "Homeland Security will be bringing you up on money laundering charges. They have numerous files with shell corporations and numbered accounts. They believe that you may have been laundering money through entities with ties to terrorist organizations."

"What a load of crap. You know that's bullshit." the lawyer exclaims.

"And why would they suddenly think that?" Lorca growls.

"Since we told them." she says with a grin.

Meera tries to hide her smirk and fails, "Homeland will stick you in a nice hole and forget about you while it gets checked out. You could just make things easier on yourself and give us the Stewmaker."

Lorca scoff, "I'll take Homeland over giving that man up. My odds are better if I keep my mouth shut."

She glares at him and follow Meera out.

"I'll set up his transfer." Meera says.

"I'll ride with him maybe I can get him to tell me something. He hates me. He might just let it slip on accident." she tells her.

"Alright."

"One favor..don't let Kitty know until after I'm gone." she asks.

"No problem." Meera says before she walks off.

* * *

"Lorca, once I turn you over there's nothing I can do for you!" she tries one more time as they exit the van before she is going to hand him over to Homeland yelling over the blades of the helicopter.

Lorca laughs, "You...what makes you think I want your help. You embarrassed me and my family. Disrupted my life. You have no idea the wreckage you have wrought."

She almost has him at his new guard when she is suddenly thrown back from the helicopter exploding. Her ears are ringing and vision doubles as she tries to sit up when everything goes black.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She sits on the floor, Luli rubbing her back and sitting next to her. Dembe is standing over the two of them, keeping everyone away from her.

"This is the surveillance from the airport." Cooper says nodding at Aram, who brings it up on screen.

"Did you know about this?!" Ressler demands staring at Red.

Red stands there watching Lizzie being taken on screen.

"HEY! I swear to God…" Ressler keeps going.

"Unless you wish for me to remove your tongue, kinda remember that we want the same thing, Donald." Red all but snarls at the agent when he starts to get into his face.

"Why would he take Agent Scott? What the play?" Cooper asks looking at Ressler and Meera.

"Lizzie embarrassed him...with my help." she says softly, sniffling, slowly getting to her feet. "I am a recovering addict..I gave her a way in. She kept me out of her report, claimed me as a CI. Lorca loves to think that he gets one over on people. That's he's smarter than everyone else. He is a spoiled brat that is throwing a tantrum because my sister made him look like a fool and made his life a living hell by bring down his empire."

Ressler looks at her in shock but looking around she notices that he is the only one that is. Meera looks at her in motherly concern, Cooper has that fatherly stare down, Aram looks at her in understanding. She turns to see Luli, Dembe and Red are not surprised at all just looking at her in worry.

Red steps forward placing himself in front of her while Luli comes and wraps an arm around her waist so she can lean against her.

"I have a contract with Lorca to personally hand him over the new identity he wanted." Red tells them.

"That's not happening." Ressler snarks.

"Let's recount shall we? The witness is dead, you lost Lorca and he took Lizzie. I would say my meeting with the man would be equivalent of you falling on your ass and landing in a pile of Christmas." Red says with pure authority.

"We need time…" Cooper starts.

"No. Any change of plans and Lorca will vanish..along with our ever getting Lizzie back or finding the Stewmaker. I meet with Lorca as planned."

"Agent Scott's life is in jeopardy. There is no bargaining." Ressler states.

"Let's see. You lost her. I can find her. It's a simple solution." Red states.

"Cap...please…" she whispers looking at Ressler, tears streaming down her face.

"Fine but I'm going with you." Ressler says sighing.

"If you do, you must understand that I will not be responsible for your safety. Also, no surveillance, no wires."

"Done." she says daring anyone to tell her no.

* * *

 **Red  
** "The instant you have the information let me know. I'll call in backup and they'll collect him." Ressler tells him as they pull up to the restaurant that he is meeting Lorca.

"No. We let him walk. Let him think that he got away with it. Trust me." he says.

"No. I'll never trust you. How Scott or her sister can is beyond me?" Ressler tells him.

"Simply while tracking me you have found this one truth that I only do what's good for me. While that is true...they see something besides the monster. Trust me Donald. Let's go." he says getting out of the car. "You need to get yourself ready, Lorca will have question for you." he says before they enter the restaurant.

"I'm Raymond Reddington. I believe you are waiting for me." he states to the man behind the counter.  
The man points them towards the back where they are each frisked before being lead to a small room where Lorca is enjoying a steak.

"Mr. Lorca, I'm Raymond Reddington." he says sitting down at the table calm as can be.

"I thought it was just you." Lorca says staring at Ressler.

"Oh, this is Special Agent Donald Ressler of the FBI."

Ressler looks at him in shock when one of Locra's men attacks him from behind making him go to his knees and places a knife at his throat.

"Open season on FBI. I can dig it." Lorca says with a smirk.

"He insisted." he says grinning at Ressler.

Lorca tells the man holding Ressler something.

"What was that?" Ressler asks glaring at Red.

"He just told him to be ready to cut off your head." he says nonchalantly.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't." Lorca says leaning back in his chair.

"Come on Captain America tell him why you are here." he says using Kitty's nickname hoping that would give the man a clue on what to do.

"Kill him." Lorca says clearly impatient.

Ressler frowns before grabbing the guy that is holding him by the arm and flips him. He brushes his hand through his hair while the other guards train their guns on him.

"Amazing dancer isn't he?" he says with glee.

Ressler scoffs and fixes his jacket, "How do you think Red got you that new ID? The passport? An established Interpol background? New history? New prints? Me. I'm not the one you kill. I'm the guy you pay. Also if I don't show up at my girlfriend's house for dinner to meet her parents, if I'm not dead, you will be." Ressler says his tone turning deadly.

"This for real?" Lorca asks looking at him.

"Indeed. Crooked as they come. He's an asset. Now before you kill my inside man, you should thank him." he says grinning.

Lorca motions to his men and they lower their guns.

He opens up his briefcase and turns it to show Lorca the documents inside.

"To your new life. I've also arranged a flight to take you to Venezuela. You just need to sit tight for at least twelve hours."

"I'm leaving tonight." Lorca tries to demand.

"Not with my help. Lorca, you're bad for business. You have made such a mess. You took an FBI agent. I assume that she's dead." he says as if talking to a child.

Lorca just shrugs.

"Well do to your escape, the city is on lockdown. I refuse to let you get busted with my fingerprints on you. When I arrange transport, it's flawless. I refuse to compromise my people."

Ressler steps forward, "Every tracking system, surveillance camera and every law-enforcement officer in this town is looking for you. They want your head. You're not getting out of here any time soon."

"Sit tight. Take your new identity, catch a ride on my plane and let me clean up your mess." he says to the little man.  
Lorca just smirks.

"Good. Now where is the man holding the agent?"

"That little slut is going to disappear. That's her price for taking everything for me. Her little bitch of a sister is going to have to live with the fact that it's her fault that her sister is gone." Lorca says with a smile.

He feels his back go straighter and places a hand on Ressler's shoulder. To keep himself from going across the table and wrapping his hands around Lorca's neck. He takes a deep breath. "That's going to be a problem. You let your emotions control you and that is how people end up in jail. Name and location of the man holding Elizabeth Scott."

"You know sounds like you're the only letting your emotions get to you."

He smirks, "I want the man holding her. Nothing more. Let me tell you how this is going to go. You get away. Agent Ressler here saves Agent Scott. Makes him look good and gets better access. I need a name. Now." his tone deadly and full of authority.

Lorca swallows, "All I have is a contact."

* * *

He looks over the board trying to see if he missed something. Luli has already done as he asked and Kitty is in his car. Until Lizzie is found, Kitty is staying close by.

He overhears Ressler talking to Cooper. The contact had lead them to a mailbox. The mailbox lead them to Stanley Kornish.  
He sees the dog hair and when no one is looking, pockets it.

"Let's go." he tells Dembe.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She feels someone starts to move her. She can smell pine leaves and hears the crunching of leaves under the person's feet.

"My name is Elizabeth. I have name. I'm a person. I have a younger sister and father. I want you to know who I am." she yells trying to make whoever see her as a person

* * *

 **Red and Kitty  
** Dembe drives while she and Red ride in the back seat. She curled in a little ball on the seat with Red scratching her head.

Luli has a GPS up on a tablet.

"Luli..dial the Maryland State Office of Animal Control, if you please?" he says already impatient.

Luli dials and the line starts to ring.

"Answer dammit…" he mutters running a hand over his head and tapping his foot.

 _"Maryland Animal Control. This is Diana. How can I help you?"_

Taking a deep breath he makes himself sound nervous, "Yes..he..hello, Diana. This is Stanley Kornish."

 _"How can I help you today, Mr. Kornish?"_

"I'm in a bit of a panic. My dog has gotten out and I've lost my phone with the tracking code. Could I bother you for the could and if you could reboot the application to another mobile device….He's an emotional support dog."

 _"I can do that for you. Do you have the mobiles serial number handy?"_

"Yes...I'm going to hand you over to my worker, she'll give you the information." he nods at Luli, who takes over.

She slowly moves to a sitting position and curls herself into his side.

"We'll find her." he whispers to her causing her to start crying.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She knows that she is sitting but is still blindfolded and her hands are bound behind her.

"Who are you? You can at least tell me that can't you? I mean you're going to kill me. I should at least know your name. I mean other than what they call you." she says trying to appeal to his humanity or pride.

"What name?"

"You don't know about it?"

"What name?" he asks again pulling down her blindfold.

She tries to cover her shock at the thin older man standing in front of her. She licks her lips, "You're called the Stewmaker."

He nods before disappearing behind her. She pulls at her bonds hoping she can get herself free.

"Do you have a family? Kids?" she asks as the man moves around the cabin almost ignoring her. "I can tell you're a father. How old is your child?"

"Eleven. I married late." the man mutters.

"Do you have kids?"

"No...just a younger sister." she says trying not to think what is going through Kitty's mind right now.

"I need to make you suffer..I don't like doing it. It's my job."

She closes her eyes trying not to think about Kitty, her dad or Red. All those that she is never going to see again. She opens her eyes slowly and stares at him.

"Get on with it."

"There's a nerve cluster just under the shoulder muscle. The pain should be quite intense." he tells her as he moves behind her before inserting a syringe.

She doesn't bother hiding the pain and her screams fill the night

* * *

 **Red**

"We're close, Raymond." Luli says showing him the tablet.

He nods, "Dembe. Pull into the next shop. We're going to need meat."

Kitty is asleep next to him. He had kept a few of her sleeping pills and snuck one into her water.

"She's going to be angry." Luli said looking at Kitty.

"I would rather her be angry at me than backslide due to all this." he says brushing the hair out of Kitty's face.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"How does it work?" she stresses out. She trying to fight the pain that is in her body. "How do you make them disappear perfectly?"

"It is perfection isn't it?" he says before injecting her with something.

"What was that?" she stresses out.

"Sedative. You will be paralyzed but still able to feel pain." he says as he unlocks the wheelchair that she is on.

"You're enjoying this. You usually get stuck cleaning up afterwards. This is the first time you've gotten to do the torture yourself." she screams at him.

Luckily, he puts on a mask at the same time she gets her hands free. She grabs the first thing she sees and hits him over the head and runs out of the cabin.

She stumbles and falls, her legs suddenly not working. She starts crawling to the large trunk of a tree, hoping she can hide there. She leans against the trunk and turns her head to see the Stewmaker's dog right next to her. She looks up and his owner is standing over her. He hits her, making her lightheaded and starts dragging her back to the cabin.

He places her back in the wheelchair and she looks over his shoulder and smiles.

"You're in for a reckoning." she says before things start to go black. She luckily doesn't miss the Stewmaker turning to find Red behind him.

Red doesn't let anything show on his face before punching the Stewmaker out.

* * *

 **Lizzie and Red  
** A short time later, the dog is eating a large hunk of meat and The Stewmaker is seated by his chemical bath, hands bound.

Red slowly and gentle places Lizzie in the wheelchair.

"Hello, my dear. You're going to be okay, the effects should dissipate soon." he tells her before gently placing a kiss on her lips.

"Red…" she whispers.

He smiles softly before turning her so that she can not see into the Stewmaker's room with the full tub of chemicals that were waiting for her.

He faces the bound man and glares at him coldly. "Now I could stand here and give you this amazing story about a farmer that loses everything and becomes the same thing that took everything away from him. But you...you took someone that is precious to me, to her sister and to her father. There is no forgiveness. The instant I had to wipe the tears off her sister's face and promised that I would bring her home, your death was ordained. You know that don't you, Stanley?"

She closes her eyes, thinking about Kitty. If their roles were reversed, she would have razed the Earth to get her back.

"Stop him…" she says softly, tears running down her face as she thinks of the pain that she has endured.

"As the Queen wishes." he says grabbing Stanley by the ankles and shoving him into the tub.

He moves to stand in front of her, placing his hands behind his head just as the front door bursts open.

Ressler and Meera rush in.

"Where's Kornish?" Ressler ask holstering his weapon.

"There was an incident. Liz needs medical attention." he says keeping his eyes locked on hers and thankful to see understanding instead of the horror he suspected to find.

Ressler moves to her, checking her pulse and she finally takes her eyes off Red and looks at Ressler.

Meera looks at Red in confusion, "How did you get in here?"

"Get a medic in here!" Ressler yells behind him.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She stands by the car looking down the dirt drive, watching for Lizzie.

"LIZZIE!" she screams seeing her starting to walk away from the cabin with the help of Ressler.

She brushes past people not caring if she knocked anyone over until she could her her arms around Lizzie. They fall to the ground, arms wrapped around each other, tears running down their faces.

"You're okay?" she whispers.

Lizzie nods not quite able to speak.

She looks up to see that Ressler is still standing there watching them.

"Thank you." she whispers.

Ressler nods and helps the two of them to their feet and finishes the walk to the ambulance.

The two of them sit there waiting. She looks up when Red approaches.

"Here." he says placing a photo album next to Lizzie.

"What's that?" she asks resting her head on Liz's shoulder.

"Peace of mind for so many families." he says his eyes glued on Lizzie. "About what happened…" he begins.

"How do you do it?" Lizzie says softly reaching out her hand to take his.

"Do what?" he asks kneeling in front of her, her hand being held in his.

"Live with the monster inside the man?" Lizzie asks bringing his hand up to her mouth and brushing a light kiss on it.

"By saving your life." he says taking his hand out of Lizzie's hold and brushing the hair out of her face. "Both of your lives." he says looking at her.

Liz and she moves into the ambulance.

* * *

 **Red**

He watches as the ambulance drives away as Ressler comes up to him.

"I just gave Liz a book that will help put Lorca and many of his kind away." he tells him placing his fedora on his head.

"Lorca got away."

He just stands there not looking at anyone.

"Actually, he's on your jet. You're not going to let him get away with it. He offended you. On top of threatening them." Ressler nods in the direction of the ambulance.

"As you said, he is on my jet." he says and walks to where Dembe is waiting for him. Luli had gotten into the front of the ambulance while he was talking with Lizzie.

"Raymond?" Dembe asks as he gets into the car.

"I think Mr. Lorca..needs to know just how stupid he was to dare to touch either of my girls." he says leaning back in his seat.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Cocoa Girl2 you are a freaking goddess! Thank you for all the reviews and questions. I will try to get them all answered. Thank you also to those those that are following the story.**

 **A/N1.5 Okay, Sebastian is a friend of SAM but he knows who Red is and how Sam got involved in the girls lives. Red did not hire him to protect Kitty however he's the one that told Sam to contact him for help when it became clear that Kitty had a problem.**

 **A/N2 If you didn't think I was a geek before you will now**

* * *

 **The Courier**

 **Lizzie**

She pushed him back on the bed and straddled his waist before closing her mouth over his.

She felt his hands run up her back and tangle in her hair.

"Lizzie…" he breathed her name.

She smiled against his mouth and nipped at his lips.

He responded in kind, running his tongue across her bottom lips. She opened her mouth and let him in.

She felt more than heard the groan that rumbled in his chest and felt herself getting even more excited than she ever had felt before.

He rolled her underneath him, his lips trailing down her neck. Placing open mouth kisses on her shoulder, nipping at her skin.

She looked at him with hooded eyes, she had never felt that much desire from just a look in someone's eye.

He quickly removed the last of their clothes before settling between her bare legs.

She heard him hiss as he slowly entered her. The heat of him filling her and that noise almost making her break the rules and beg him for more.

Slowly he began to move, bringing soft whimpers and moans from her lips.

Rocking against her body, he slid his hand back down her, bringing her over the edge.

As he grazed his fingers between her legs, her breathing turn rapid and shallow. Finally hitting all the right spots, she writhed beneath him, his name slipping from her mouth as she came.

* * *

"Red..." she whimpers out as she slowly comes awake. She feels next to her to find the bed empty.

"Son of a bitch." she mutters and sits up. Slowly she gets out of bed and heads down the hall to the bathroom. Stripping the clothes slick with sweat off, she gets into the shower hoping to cool her heated skin.

"That's what the third one this week. Not counting all the others." Kitty says standing in the doorway when she gets out of the shower. A cup of coffee in her hand.

Ever since the Stewmaker, she had been having an insane amount of erotic dreams about Red. All of them start different but each end when she has a orgasm.

"I know…" she says taking the cup after wrapping a towel around her body and heads back to her bedroom.

"You know, this might be a hint." Kitty says following behind her.

"Okay say that you're right and I give in to everything that I'm feeling..do you really think anyone in the FBI would trust me or my judgement or even allow me to still work with him?" she says as she starts digging through her dresser to find something to wear.

"Is that what you are worried about? Or is it something else?" Kitty says sitting on the bed.

"There's that and I don't want to get hurt. My history with men is…" she says picking the underwear set that Kitty had gotten for her from Victoria Secret after Kitty overheard her first dream with Red.

"Shit." Kitty says with a grin as Hudson jumps onto the bed laying his head down watching the two of them.

"Pretty much." she says laughing dropping the towel and putting on her red matching bra and underwear.

"Okay..one, good choice. Two, do you want a quick fling, a one night stand or a relationship with the man? Cause..I think he might be more relationship minded but more than likely wouldn't say no to the others. Anytime you two are in the same room, you can feel the sexual tension coming off the two of you." Kitty asks taking her coffee and having a sip.

"Get your own. Honestly, part of me wouldn't mind having everything. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to push him against the wall and..." she says pulling on a pair of jeans.

Kitty laughs falling back on the bed, covering her ears. "Lalala, I'm not listening. By the way, I'm liking the wardrobe change you have going on."

Lately, she had gotten to wearing jeans, low heeled shoes, a nice top under a suit jacket instead of the suit that she should be wearing.

"This stuff works better if I need to meet with Red." she says shrugging as she looks through her closet for a top.

"Keep telling yourself that. You just like the way your ass looks in jeans." Kitty says with a smirk before leaving the room.

* * *

 **Red**

"Sir, your sources were correct." Newton tells him as he enters the room. "The Iranian is attempting to receive a high level intelligence package."

"Have it intercepted on route." he says taking a sip of his coffee.

"Sir..there is a problem with that. It seems that the seller has hired the Courier for the exchange. The last time…" Newton tries to tell him.

"I'm well aware. Why don't we see how Lizzie and her motley crew handle this, shall we?" he says with a smile.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She taps a pencil against her lip. Cooper had given her a little more information about her ex's case. Now she knows that the gun is tied to the murder of a Victor Fokin at the Angel Station Hotel in Boston.

She wasn't sure why the thought that her ex might be connected to a murder didn't upset her as much as it should. She had called Kitty to tell her and the only thing she had to say was that 'she wouldn't have put it past him'.

"I see Cooper allowed you some access to the case." Ressler says motioning to the file in front of her.

"Yeah. Especially when I let him know that my ex and I were in Boston at the time of the murder. Also that the SOB skipped town."

Ressler nods. "Should I rough him up when we find him? We will find him. He needs to answer some questions."

She just smiles a little surprised at his offer.

"Okay onto other news. You are now included in the oversight committee brief about Red next week." he says handing her a case folder.

"Cooper let me know that as well. He also wanted me to give you Red's profile." she says taking the file from him and holding out a folder that pretty much said the same thing that she had told Red on their pseudo date.

"Haven't you noticed by now that I don't trust profiling. Facts those I trust." Ressler says adjusting his stance.

"Really. For shits and giggles, I did one on you." she says with a devilish smirk and grabs an empty folder and opens it. "Uptight. Rigid and relentless. A boy scout that has to follow the rules. Fueled by an inner rage. Capable of showing tenderness which usually leads to long bouts of watching Asian porn or Hentai."

"What the hell is Hentai?" Ressler asks looking at her in confusion.

"Okay how about this, I know that you are having a hard time trusting me. You think I'm involved one way or another with Red, so I must be tainted goods. Also you resent that he wants to talk to me not you."

She looks down to see a incoming call.

"I swear this man knows when I am talking about him." she mutters.

She watches Ressler shake his head as she answers.

* * *

 **Red and Lizzie**

Newton shows Lizzie into the room

"Whose place is this and what is it?" she asks sitting down next to him taking in the stacks of books and papers.

"A hideaway, of sorts. It belonged to an aspiring author that no one has heard of. Fredrick was a strange little man but I liked him. He passed away without publishing any of his work. This place however is full of his stuff, manuscripts, poems, you name it, it's more than likely around here somewhere. And this. Lots of this." he holds up his drink for her to see before taking a sip.

"What in the world is that?" she asks looking at the cloudy liquid.

He coughs slightly, "I think it's a cross between rocket fuel and distilled alcohol. There's bottles of it everywhere. Would you like to try some?"

"No thank you, I think my liver would stage a revolt. Am I here for you to show off this place or do you have something for us?" she asks with a smile.

He returns her grin, "As much as I would enjoy just showing you all the secrets of this place. I have a job for you."

"Do tell." she says unconsciously moving closer to him.

He brushes a stray hair off her face the back of his hand lightly stroking the side of her face, "Do you know how criminals that can't trust each other do business?"

"Most, if not all, replace trust with fear and threat of bodily harm." she answers him.

He nods, "The guy I have for you is an embodiment of both. The Courier. If his involvement is required all transactions guarantee success. Once hired, he can not be bribed or stopped. If he suspects even the hint of a double cross from either party, he kills them both. Our perfect middleman in a imperfect world."

"You wouldn't be telling me about this unless it's important." she says as he places a hand on her knee and squeezes.

"Correct." he says reluctantly moving his hand and standing so not to give into the temptation of pushing her back onto the couch and kissing her senseless. "The Courier is scheduled to deliver a package worth more than twenty million. That could be anything from an engineered virus to someone's head in a bag."

"Do you know how we can find him?" she ask standing up, not missing the fact that he moves away when she does. She tries to hide her frown and disappointment by digging into her bag for her phone to call Cooper.

"I know that he is planning to deliver the package to an Iranian spy by the name of Hamid Soroush." he says placing his hands in his pockets unconsciously bringing her attention to the small bulge that he's trying to hide.

"Do you know when or where the exchange is suppose to take place?" she asks hiding her smile at the knowledge that she affects him like he affects her.

"Less than three hours from now at the Winston Farmer's Market." he says with a smile as she shakes her head and leaves.

"You control is slipping." Luli says from the doorway a smirk on her face.

"Luli…" he says turning and glaring at the woman.

Dembe is standing behind her with a sly grin on his face.

"Both of you, shut up." he mutters sitting back down and drinking more of the rocket fuel.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She sits between Aram and Ressler, watching as Meera and Lizzie walk around the Farmer's Market.

"Hey..Lizzie. Sebastian wants us to come over for supper tonight..think you could find something to make a stir fry." she says with a grin.

 _"You know I can't cook."_ Liz says to her.

"I know..but Sebastian can." she says with a grin.

Aram shakes his head, grinning.

"I still don't get why you are here." Ressler growls.

"Red wants me to be here and Aram is teaching me how to work this stuff. Deal with it, Captain." she smirks at him.

"You know I never asked. Do you have nicknames for the rest of us?" Aram asks.

"Of course. Do you want to know?" she says.

 _"Kitty, we are suppose to be working."_

"I know, Lizzie. Just listen and look at the veggies. Well, Ressler here is Captain America. Cooper is Nick Fury."

 _"Seriously...I would have put him more towards Coulson."_ Liz says.

"I debated about it but he's Fury. I'm kinda torn for Meera."

 _"Really. Now I'm curious."_ Meera says.

"Yeah. I'm not sure if I would put you as Maria Hill or Black Widow."

 _"I'll take either."_ Meera states a smile clear in her tone.

"Maria Hill. All the way." Aram states.

She giggles loving the annoyed look on Ressler's face. "I put you as Vision."

Aram grins wide. "I'll take it. Who's Liz?"

"Scarlet Witch."

 _"Age of Ultron. Seriously?"_ Liz mutters. _"Hey, Ressler. My one o'clock?"_

Ressler checks the monitors as another agent points his camera that way.

 _"Possible. Same height and right age._ " Meera states.

"Follow him." Ressler says.

"What about Red, Dembe and Luli?" Aram asks.

"Are we seriously still on this?" Ressler exclaims clearly annoyed.

"Hush, Captain. The children are talking." she says with a grin.

"Dembe, I would put him as Hulk. He looks so deadly when calm that I'm scared to see him angry. Luli is Black Widow, through and through."

 _"That one I can see. Did you notice that?"_ Liz asks bringing their attention to some kid handing something off to the guy they think is the target.

"It's a cell. Follow him." Ressler states.

 _"Kitty, I'm going to regret this but who is Red?"_ Liz asks.

"Hmmm..I don't know if…." she starts.

 _"Kathleen."_ Lizzie growls.

She starts giggling, "Iron Man."

 _"Never tell him. We'll never live it down."_ Lizzie says with a groaning laugh.

They watch as the man answers the phone.

"Can anyone hear him?" Ressler demands.

'Nos' are heard all around as agents try to get close without giving themselves away.

 _"He's off."_ Liz states.

They watch as he approaches one of the booths.

"Is he talking to him?" she asks.

 _"I think that's the contact. It could be the Courier, himself."_ Lizzie says.

"All teams, casually start moving in." Ressler says.

"According to Red if it is the Courier, this guy spooks easily. He's a kill first ask questions never if he thinks that he's been betrayed." she states thinking about the stuff that Lizzie told her.

They watch as Liz and Meera flank the Iranian. Ready to grab him if it comes down to it.

"Chang..if possible get a clear look at this guy." Ressler says as the guy that is holding a camera moves a little close.

She notices the contact look directly at the camera.

"Shit." she says noticing the glint in the guy's eye. "I think he made them." she says turning to look at Ressler.

"I think so too. Tactical, get ready. I want the south side sealed off, ASAP. We are not letting this guy get away." Ressler says.

The guy nods at the Iranian before going behind the curtain in the back of the booth.

"Lizzie...the guy is gonna ghost or something. Get ready." she says.

Suddenly machine gun fire fills the air.

She watches as Soroush goes down.

 _"Shot fired!"_ Meera exclaims.

 _"Soroush is down! Anyone have eyes on the shooter!"_ Liz yells.

"All teams move in! Now!" Ressler yells into the coms as a truck races off.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"You hit?!" she asks noticing the blood on Meera's face.

"Not mine." Meera says looking at Soroush before firing her gun at the back window of the truck. Luckily the shot connects, shattering the window.

 _"He's heading, north of 6th, ladies. You both okay?"_ Kitty asks.

"We're good, Kit Kat." Meera says turning to one of the vendors nearby and demands for his keys.

"Contact Red, Kitty. When we catch him, it might be good to have him nearby." she says following Meera.

 _"Done."_ Kitty says.

Meera climbs into the driver's seat as she gets in the passenger side.

 _"Air support is on the way."_ Aram tells them. " _Two minutes out."_

Meera speeds after the truck. When the truck suddenly swerves in the middle of the street heading straight for them, she slams on the brakes and both of them duck when bullets pass over them.

They watch as he speeds off again.

 _"Lizzie! Meera!"_ Kitty yells, her voice full of worry and fear.

"We're okay. Cut off that son of a bitch at the next intersection." She growls getting annoyed.

Meera nods and takes a quick turn. She floors the accelerator and broadsides the truck.

"Corner of 10th and Spencer. Courier's vehicle is disabled. He's on foot." she says as they get out of the vehicle and take off after him.

They find him sitting in the corner of a building.

"Arms up." Meera all but snarls at the man, a little out of breath.

He looks at them in disinterest and raises one arm.

"Both arms." she says kicking the machine gun away from.

"I can't." the Courier says with a gravel like voice.

"Put up your other arm." Meera demands.

Without flinching, the Courier straightens a broken bone in his other arm.

"Oh…." she breaths watching as he uses his good arm to raise the broken one.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"So...that guy is weird." she says looking at Aram.

"Yeah…" he looks up as the elevator comes to a stop. Red, Dembe and Luli step off.

"Kitty Kat..I hear that the Courier has been collected." Red says with a grin.

"Yeah..but he didn't have a package on him." she tells him.

"Hmmm...where is everyone?" he asks looking around.

"Maria Hill and Captain America are questioning the Courier while Nick Fury and Scarlet Witch watch." she says with a sly grin wondering if he'll get it.

Dembe looks at her in confusion.

Aram covers his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Ah..Ressler and Meera are with him while Lizzie and Harold watch." Red says nodding.

"You got it." she says with a grin.

"I think I'll go join them." he says before walking off, Dembe right behind him.

"New names? What are ours?" Luli says moving close to her and starts playing with her hair.

"Iron Man, Hulk and Black Widow." Aram says with a smile.

"Black Widow...so you think I'm hot and deadly." Luli says with a grin causing her to break out in giggles.

* * *

 **Red**

"Our techs couldn't find anything at the market, nothing in his vehicle or on him. What was he suppose to be delivering?" Cooper asks him when he steps into the room.

"I'm at a lose myself, Harold. Could it be possible that your people missed something." he says stepping further into the room, standing right behind Lizzie.

Without thinking about it, he placed his hand on her lower back.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yeah...is there anything you're not telling us?" Lizzie says turning slightly so his hands accidentally brushes her hip while the tips of his fingers brush slightly lower.

"Sweetheart, I never tell you everything." he says with a smirk. "I gave you a Blacklister. Everything else is for you to find out."

She rolls her eyes and turns to look back at the interrogation.

She stands straighter when she notices that the Courier doesn't react at all when Ressler grabs his broken arm and squeezes.

"Did you see that?" she asks looking at him over his shoulder.

He nods.

"Why did he kill Soroush?" Cooper asks.

"Kitty made a comment that she thought he noticed one of our agents." Lizzie tells them.

"And Soroush paid the price." he states rubbing his thumb along her hip. She looks at him under her lashes and smiles before looking back at the Courier in the other room.

"He has scars all over his body but that knife wound is new. Any idea about all those scars?" she ask him.

"Interesting. I always wondered if the stories had any truth to them." he states. "I would call a doctor."

* * *

A short time later, a doctor joins him, Cooper, Lizzie and Ressler in the observation room.

"I've heard about cases like this but never seen one until today. Your suspect has congenital anhidrosis. It's rare. He can not feel physical pain."

"Makes sense." he says softly in Lizzie's ear.

"What about the scarring?" Lizzie asks.

"Most people that have this disorder get injured without knowing..however that is different. Most seem self inflicted." the doctor tells them.

"The knife wound on his chest. We think it's possible that he placed something inside it." Cooper says.

"We need you to remove it." Ressler says nodding at the doctor.

"And with that, I see that I am not needed. You know where to find me." he says with a grin at Lizzie.

She nods and rolls her eyes as he leaves the room.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

 _"My name….my name...My name is Seth. Seth Nelson..Wh..why are you doing this? Please…"_

They watch as the young man is thrown into a box. The video shows two oxygen tanks before it blacks out.

"This was on the chip that was taken off him?" Cooper asks looking at all of them.

She stands slightly behind Aram and Kitty, resting both her hands on Kitty's shoulders.

"How old is he? He looks really young." Kitty says softly.

"The newspaper is from yesterday." Ressler says looking at one of the photos on screen.

"The video is time stamped at four twenty nine in the morning." she says.

"It appears to be a proof of life video." Meera states.

"Oxygen mask, tanks. Whoever that is, his hours are numbered." Ressler states.

"Why would he be worth twenty million?" Kitty asks her and Aram softly.

Aram starts typing on his computer, using the boy's face and name.

"Got a hit." Aram states bringing it up on the screen. "Seth Nelson, lives in Maryland with his parents. Works for tech support at a cable company."

"He's your age, Kitty." she tells her.

"As long as both those tanks were full, he should have, what? Twenty hours left before he runs out of air." Kitty says looking at the photo of the tanks.

Ressler nods.

"I'm still not seeing why anyone would think this kid is worth twenty million." Cooper states.

"He's worth a lot more." Meera states moving away from her computer. "I checked with one of my contacts. Seth Nelson is a NSA analyst. One of the best. Also one of the three people able to write and access security protocols and software."

"If he's forced to work for someone, say a criminal network. It would be catastrophic." Kitty says her eyes going wide.

"We need to get the Courier to talk." Meera states.

"He's a psychopath." Ressler says.

"Good thing we have our own." she says with a grin. She gives Kitty's shoulder one more squeeze before turning to leave.

* * *

Dembe lets her into the apartment.

"Would you like something to drink, Liz?" Luli asks brushing past her to place a cup of tea on the table that Red is sitting, reading.

"No thank you." she says smiling at her.

"You sure? I'm sure we have something tasty." Luli says coming over to brush a stray hair off her shoulder.

"Luli. Stop flirting and let her come into the room." Red says leaning back.

"Spoilsport." Luli says with a grin before leaving the two of them alone.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about the Courier?" she asks moving so that she is within a arm's reach of him.

"Really? What do I get if I do?" he says smirking at her.

She licks her lip and decides to give into herself and screw the consequences.

"Maybe we can finish our date? Without the interruption." she says letting out the breath that she was holding.

He swallows hard watching her eyes, "That sounds extremely tempting." he tilts his head, thinking. "A few years ago, some of my..associates encountered the Courier in an opium den. If he still has a taste, I know someone that could help us."

"A friend?" she asks watching his face carefully.

"Yes, it's a good possibility that he could be helpful locating the Courier's safe house." he tells her.

"Give him a call." she says sitting down at the table with him. "I'll wait."

"Thank you." he says placing his hand over hers.

"For what?" she asks slowly tracing her fingertips on top of his hand.

"Allowing me to show you a good time." he says as Dembe enters the room, phone in hand. "Let me call my friend." he says standing.

* * *

She, Meera and Ressler search the Couriers safehouse.

They find a lot of photos of the Iranian and an unknown woman.

She finds an old black and white photo of two young boys, with 'Summer 1961' written on the back.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"The Courier had the buyer under surveillance for days." Meera states.

"Yeah..and I think this woman is the seller." Ressler says pointing at the woman in the photo.

"So she had Seth kidnapped and hired the Courier?" she asks.

"What the point of all this surveillance if he's just a middleman?" Cooper asks.

"Like Kitty said earlier, Red told us that he's very cautious. He's a kill first ask questions never if he thinks that someone is going to double cross him. He probably wanted to know where he could get a hold of them if things went wrong." Lizzie states.

"We need to know who this woman is." Cooper says.

* * *

 **Red**

"Her name is Laurence Dechambou. Ex-French intelligence. Now she makes a healthy income selling secrets. She actually owns that nightclub." he says nodding at the photo as he joins everyone. "Miss me?" he asks looking at Lizzie.

"It's so quiet without you." Lizzie says with a smile.

"I've been to that club. I was going to get a job there but it's not my kind of scene." Kitty says narrowing her eyes looking at him and Lizzie.

"It's been awhile since I was last there. But she did try to strangle me with her stocking." he says watching Lizzie's reaction.

Lizzie straightens her back and frowns at him.

"Did you finish before her and leave her wanting?" Lizzie says only loud enough for him to hear with a smirk and arch of her eyebrow.

"Touche, sweetheart. And I always make sure to leave a lady fully satisfied before I finish." he whispers the last part to her as he passes her. He enjoys seeing her eyes darken with desire and the biting of her lip.

"Stop hitting on my sister." Kitty says with a grin. "Is there anyway we can get her to talk? Without Red seeing if she still wants to kill him?"

He hears Dembe and Luli covers their laughs with coughs.

"There might be a way. She had to hand over Seth to the Courier. Maybe we could find that location. There has to be some sort of footage somewhere." Meera states.

"And I can use that to track the Courier's movements. It could lead us to Seth." Aram states.

"The only problem. Why would she tell you anything?" he asks.

"She won't. She's going to be waiting for her money. We send someone in as the Courier. Let her know that the exchange was a setup and that she can collect Seth where she left him." Lizzie says with a sparkle in her eye.

He tries to hide his smile at her excitement.

He looks over at Kitty and sees that she has a knowing smirk on her face.

"I could just meet with her." he says.

"No." Lizzie says giving him a 'not in my lifetime' look in her eyes. Hmmm, haven't had a full date and the thought of his meeting with someone that he had carnal knowledge of annoyed her.

"She's got a point. Anytime you meet with someone, they usually end up dead." Ressler says getting the opposite idea that she probably has.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." he says with a devilish grin.

"You've killed three people." Cooper, Meera and Ressler say in unison.

"I'm not perfect." he says shrugging.

"Are we sure that woman hasn't met the Courier face to face?" Kitty asks clearly enjoying the tension between himself and Lizzie.

"I'll do it." Ressler says stepping forward.

"Fine but at the first sign that it's going south, the club is going to be swarmed." Cooper says nodding at Ressler.

"If that doesn't work, just bend over any available piece of furniture and let her slap your ass. She loves that." he says full of snark.

Lizzie looks right at him and arches an eyebrow. "Do you?" she mouths.

He just smirks.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"All teams on standby." she says over coms as she, Meera and Kitty sit in the surveillance van. Aram was still at the Post Office but luckily Kitty knows enough to be their tech girl for a little while.

They watch as Ressler heads towards the club.

"We have access." Kitty says with a grin as the club's security cameras come up on screen.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Meera asks.

"If she told you she'd have to kill you." she says with a grin.

 _"Here to see Dechambou."_ Ressler's voice comes over the coms.

 _"Line's over there buddy."_

"Hey, Cap. I know you hate to do this but you're gonna have to hurt that guy." Kitty says.

"She's right. It's what the Courier would do." she agrees.

They watch as Ressler turns back to the bouncer. Without saying a word, he brings the man to his knees and steps over him.

"That was hot." Meera says.

"Okay, I suddenly wish I had another pair of underwear." Kitty says fanning herself.

"You know he can hear the two of you, right?" she says with a grin.

"Okay, I'm currently liking the Winter Soldier." Kitty says with a smirk.

"Hush you. Captain America will be back soon." she says with a shake of her head.

Kitty pouts before giggling.

They watch as a security guy collects Ressler and leads him towards the back.

"Dammit. Looks like she is paranoid. No cams in her office. Sorry, Captain, you're going in blind." Kitty tells him.

"Hey we still have sound." she says.

 _"You injured my doorman and forced your way into my club. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you where you stand?"_ a woman, Dechambou says.

 _"You kill me, you kill Seth Nelson."_ Ressler states coldly.

"Damn, that scared me." Kitty says softly typing away on the keyboard.

"You recording?" she asks.

Kitty nods.

 _"You..We agreed that the money would be dropped off at a specified location."_

 _"Things change."_ Ressler states.

 _"I hired you since you are suppose to keep things away from my doorstep. Why are you here?"_

 _"You double crossed me. Be lucky I'm in a good mood. Pick up your geek where you left him. Never contact me again."_

"Just walk out. Hopefully she takes the bait." she says softly when they don't see Ressler leave the office.

 _"Wait! How do I know you're really you?! This could be a set up."_

"Fuck." she and Meera mutter.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but if you can harm yourself without flinching, do it." she says looking at Kitty who grimaches.

They hear a bottle breaking.

"Teams prepare to move in." Meera says leaving the van.

 _"Will this work?Is this what you want to see? See if I react? I've already lost the only thing in this world I've ever loved. I have nothing in this world, except this job."_

 _"Impressive. Except for one mistake, if you were betrayed. I would be dead. Which makes me wonder ..._

"Get Out!" she and Kitty yell.

She hears Ressler running on screen, leaving the direction that the office was in.

"Hit the building! Asset compromise." she exclaims into the com.

She and Kitty smirk when Dechambou leaves the club only to be greeted by SWAT.

* * *

While they bring in Dechambou, Cooper sends the Courier out to have the objects hidden in his body to be removed. Unfortunately the woman has zero clue where Seth is.

After some slight discussion, Cooper decides that they'll give the Courier's brother a reduce on his sentence for information leading to finding Seth.

* * *

 **Red**

"He wounded two of the marshals and killed one with a knife that we didn't know he had." Meera states.

"He was searched." Cooper says.

"He had things hidden all over his body. For all we know, he has his own escape package inside himself." Lizzie says rubbing her eyes.

"He abandoned the transport near Woodbridge, Virginia. A vehicle was stolen nearby. Locals are looking for him." Ressler says still in his Courier clothing.

"According to his younger brother, they grew up in Woodbridge." Lizzie states.

He moves behind her letting her lean against his arm.

"That could be where Seth is." Cooper says. "You two. Find him. Now!"

Meera and Ressler rush out.

"What about her?" Kitty asks motioning to the monitor where Dechambou is sitting.

"Let her go and I'll talk to her." he says.

"No." Kitty and Lizzie state quickly.

"Not going to happen." Cooper says.

He tries to ignore the slight glares from Lizzie and Kitty. He scoffs, "Harold, this woman was on track to be you when she worked French intelligence. Since joining the dark side, she's only gone up."

"And you think you can make her talk? Since you knew her." Lizzie says, her eyes stating the jealousy.

"Normally I would find jealousy a base emotion, but in this case it's quite endearing." he says smiling at her. "I'll make her talk."

"Don't make me regret this. Release her." Cooper says.

He nods and places his fedora back on his head before heading towards the elevator.

"Hold on." Lizzie says going after him. "I'll walk you out." she says as she close the elevator so that it's just the two of them.

"Alright. I'm jealous." she says after a few moments of silence.

"You have no reason to be." he tells her honestly moving to stand next to her.

She sighs and lets her hand fall to her side. "There's cameras."

"Hmm, where would you like to go for our date?" he asks looking forward.

"Surprise me." she says when the elevator comes to a stop and he gets off.

"Always." he says.

* * *

He watches as Laurence pours herself a drink.

"You should make that a double." he states letting her know that he is standing there.

"Raymond. What do you want?" she asks looking at him like he is something one the bottom of her shoe.

'So much. But at this moment, where is the NSA agent?"

"No idea. The Courier had him last. Ask him." she says pouring herself another glass.

"Ahh..the Courier. He's been compromised. I wonder who he'll blame for that?" he asks in a mocking tone.

"Wasn't me."

"I highly doubt he'll accept that answer." he helps himself to a glass of her scotch. "I can get you out of the country. I have a jet waiting for you and all you have to do, is tell me where you left the kid."

Laurence licks her lips, "He's worth twenty million."

"That is about to die. This is a limited offer. Once I leave this room, you can take you chances with the Courier." he says as he turns away from her.

"Wait...I'll tell you." she calls just as he reaches the doorway.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"That's the stolen car." he tells Meera as they reach where they believe the Courier to be. His old house.

"I've got blood." Meera says looking down at the bumper.

He reaches for the walkie to get the teams to start to move in when gunfire fills the night air.

He and Meera return fire. He gives Meera a signal for her to keep firing while he makes a break for the house.

He gets inside but the Courier is nowhere to be found.

He notices the open backdoor.

"He's outside!" he yells to Meera.

They rush in the direction that they think he's gone in. They find him moving very slow.

"Freeze! On your knees."

The courier turns to face them and collapses.

Slowly, they move over to him, guns still drawn.

"Check him." Meera says as he kneels down checking his pulse.

"He's dead. How much time does the kid have left?" he asks looking up at her.

"Maybe forty minutes, if he's lucky." Meera states.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She, Lizzie, Red and Dembe stand around a map. She feels bad about cancelling on Sebastian but luckily he understood when she explained as much as she was able to.

"At four am, Dechambou left Seth in the back of the pickup truck at this rest stop in Manassas." Red says pointing on the map.

"The video was taken at four twenty nine am." she says pointing at the monitor behind her.

"So less than thirty minutes. Assuming he spent at least twenty with Seth at the site. It gives a ten minute drive from the rest stop." Lizzie says.

"This area is inaccessible." Red says pointing at an area.

"This place has road access." she says pointing.

"It's an open area. He has to be there." Lizzie says.

"How much air does he have left?" Red asks.

"Thirty minutes." Lizzie says.

"Give or take a couple minute." she says.

"Dembe is driving ladies. Let's go. Hopefully we can get there before he suffocates." Red says as Lizzie grabs the map and they rush out.

* * *

Less than a half hour later, they reach what they hope is the dump site. An open area full of refrigerators.

They quickly start opening fridges.

Red stops in the center of the site. "He's here." he says walking carefully.

"What?" she and Lizzie ask as Dembe starts towards him.

"The Courier likes to bury things under his skin. He would make the fridge a coffin. He's here in the dirt."

Lizzie looks where he is standing. "I see it."

She looks and sees what the two of them saw. While there are footprints everywhere. Where Red and Dembe have started to dig, the ground looks too put together.

They quickly clear the area and scrape away a couple of inches of dirt to find a buried fridge. Dembe forces open the lid and finds Seth. Dembe gets in behind him, and lifts the young man out.

Lizzie quickly removes the oxygen mask and feels for a pulse.

"His pulse is weak but he's not breathing.

Dembe all but pushes Lizzie out of the way as he starts CPR.

She kneels at Seth's head and waits, ready to breathe for him if needed. She looks up and notices that Red has pulled Lizzie against him, holding her close as they all wait with baited breath.

Seth suddenly starts gasping and she helps him sit up slowly.

"Who...how?" Seth whispers.

"Take it easy Seth." she tells him softly.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She slowly makes her way over to where Seth is waiting for the ambulance. She ignores the fact that Red is saying something in his ear.

"Seth, your parents are going to meet you at the hospital." she says smiling at the young man.

"How..how can I repay you?" Seth asks shakily.

"I'm sure we'll find a way." she says looking at Red, who smiles at her in surprise.

"I'll talk to you later." Red says.

"Definitely." she says as he walks off.

"Good job, Scott." Ressler says joining her. "I guess you and Kitty are important to have around. You guys saved that kid's life."

"About what you told Dechambou?" she asks slightly giving him a way out.

"Just played my part." Ressler says before walking off.

* * *

 **Red**

"Out of everything you could ask for. You could have found..." Newton starts.

"I know. I'm looking towards the future." he states.

"I believe that your future has arrived." Newton says hearing a knock on the door.

He pours a drink as Newton answers the door.

He looks up to see Lizzie standing there, smiling at him.

"You're early. I haven't even figured out our date yet." he says handing her a drink.

"I received your present." she pulls out a photo. "My ex. Coming out of the hotel where a murder tied to the gun I found took place."

"Kitty told me what you knew. I didn't like you being in the dark." he tells her honestly.

"Thank you." she says finally taking the offered drink and sitting down.

"You know out of everything in this place. Right here is my favorite spot. This view." he says looking outside.

He feels her lean against him. He moves his arm so that she is laying in the crook of his arm.

"I like it, right here." she says softly closing her eyes and placing her hand on his knee.

"Me too…" he whispers placing a kiss on the top of her head.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"You take the long way home." she says with a grin as Lizzie comes up the steps.

"Yes." Lizzie says with a smile on her face.

"So…." she looks at her.

"I'm not telling you a thing other than he's planning a date for us." Lizzie says as she unlocks the door and she tries not to do a happy dance before following her in.

She stops behind Liz, shocked.

"What are you doing here?" LIzzie asks the man standing in their living room.

"I heard that the FBI was looking for me. Here I am." Tom Keen says to them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Gina Zanetakos**

 **Lizzie**

"I heard that the FBI was looking for me. Here I am." Tom Keen says to them.

"Kitty, call Ressler." she says glaring at the man in front of them. "And this day was ending on such a good note." she muttered under her breath.

"Gladly." Kitty says pulling her phone out of her pocket and moving to stand near the door. "Hey Captain. You are never going to guess who broke into my and Lizzie's apartment."

"Not happy to see me." Tom says sounding surprised, his eyes watching Kitty.

"You could drop dead for all I care." she hisses at him.

"He's on his way. Should I call Iron Man and Hulk?" Kitty asks.

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Tom demands narrowing his eyes at her and Kitty.

She chooses to ignore him. "I'll call him later. Hopefully, he's getting some sleep."

"Are you going to tell me what this is about?" Tom asks.

"Did you forget something when she booted your ass out?" Kitty quips looking behind him into the dining room.

Tom just looks at them in confusion.

"Kitty, go outside and wait for him." she says trying to make it so that Kitty doesn't let Tom know that they know about the box.

"But…" Kitty says looking at her a little lost.

"Now." she says giving her a look not to argue with her at that moment.

"Why is the FBI looking for me, Liz?" Tom asks taking a step.

"Don't come near me. By the way, Ellie told me about the shit you were spewing." she said glaring at him and enjoyed seeing him pale a little.

"I can explain... I was hurt." he starts.

"Save it for someone that cares." she says turning when the door opens.

Ressler stands there looking at the two of them. Kitty right behind him.

"How'd you get here so fast?" she asks surprised to see that he was already there.

"Was nearby. Thomas Keen?" he says looking at the man in front of him.

"Yeah." Tom says looking lost.

"Let's go." Ressler says moving forward and taking Tom by the arm.

"Not gonna rough him up?" Kitty asks clearly disappointed.

"Give me time." Ressler says with a smirk as he takes Tom out of the apartment.

"Post Office?" Kitty asks looking at her, hopeful.

"If I speed we can get there before them." she says as they rush out of the apartment and get outside in time to see Ressler shoving Tom's head into a black hood and 'accidently' causing Tom to hit his head on the door frame as he puts him into the car.

"Is it wrong that I enjoyed watching that?" she asks with a smile.

"I enjoyed it and I'm sure it helped Cap get rid of some of that inner rage." Kitty says smiling.

* * *

She gets off the elevator to find Meera and Cooper waiting for them.

"He broke into your home." Cooper says, clearly annoyed.

"He was waiting there when we got home." Kitty says moving around them to stand next to Aram at the computer the two of them are sharing.

"He knew that the FBI was looking for him, somehow." she tells them as they hear the elevator start to descend.

She watches as Ressler walks off with Tom, still hooded.

"Is this really necessary? Are you the guy that Liz is sleeping with? Or are you doing Kathleen and that's why you're being a prick." Tom says his voice muffled by the hood.

Meera steps forward and yanks the hood off him.

"I thought I was going to the FBI." Tom says as he looks around the bullpen.

"Mr. Keen, you'll be coming with me." Meera states clearly hating the man on sight.

She doesn't blame Meera at all.

She is currently trying to keep herself from punching him. She looks around, noticing that she's not the only one.

Aram is glaring at him. Kitty is standing next to him with a clenched fist. Ressler looks like he is counting to himself and Cooper is just giving Tom a deathly glare.

"Liz, you know me. What the hell is this about?" Tom tries to ask but she turns her back on him.

"Sorry about this, I had hoped we would get a couple hours of sleep before work." she apologizes to Kitty and Aram as she hears Meera walk off with Tom.

"It's okay, Liz..I mean Agent Scott. I do my best work with little sleep." Aram says blushing slightly finally taking his eyes off Tom's retreating form to look at her. Kitty wraps her arms around Aram's shoulders, placing her head on his shoulder.

"Aram, I told you. Liz is fine." she says smiling at him, like Kitty she's starting to consider Aram like a brother.

Aram nods.

"Kitty...you two need to work." she says softly smiling at Kitty and motioning for her to sit.

"Aram, start looking into Tom Keen. I want to know everything about him. Agent Scott, could you come with me?" Cooper says looking at each of them.

She nods and follows him to his office.

* * *

 **Red**

"I'm looking at it right now." he tells the buyer over the phone. He had gotten a few hours of sleep after Lizzie had left him.

He had been reluctant to have her leave but knew that she had too.

Newton is standing slightly behind him, confusion clear on his face as he stares at the painting.

"My man at the port of Dubai said the payment was sent last week. You will have it in hand before the wedding." he says not really listening to him as he notices Newton answer his other phone before moving out of earshot.

He's barely paying attention as he hangs up the phone while his client is still talking when he notices something on Newton's face.

"What is it?" he demands.

"It's about Elizabeth and her ex-husband." Newton says holding out the phone.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"First off, how are you with all of this?" Cooper asks looking at her.

"Honestly, better than I thought I would be." she tells him. "Now, I just want answers."

Cooper nods, "I will admit that when Reddington first turned himself in, I was suspicious about him only speaking with you or Kit. However, the two of you have shown me that there wasn't any need to worry. The two of you have done amazing work dealing with Reddington. The instant you were able, you brought that box to my attention instead of hiding it. You were just as shocked as we were about the contents." he says motioning for her to sit down.

"I've looked over the information that you've allowed me access too. It worries me that a gun tied to an unsolved murder was hidden in my house. Also, I don't know how but Red got this for me." she pulls the picture out and hands it to him before sitting down. "That's Tom." she says pointing to Tom leaving the Angel Station Hotel.

* * *

 **Ressler**

Knowing that technically Liz can't be there, he stands in the observation room watching Meera question Keen.

Meera places a cup of water in front of Tom.

 _"Thank you."_ Tom says before picking it up and taking a sip.

Meera nods at him before sitting down. " _Mr. Keen, I'm Agent Malik."_

 _"Please call me Tom."_ Tom says giving a charming smile.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. He honestly can't see what Liz had seen in the guy.

 _"Look, I'm not really sure why I'm here or what this is about. A friend told me that the FBI was looking for me. I went to Liz thinking and hoping that she was rethinking the divorce now that it's final."_ Tom says fidgeting.

"Wow, you're a fucking idiot." he mutters crossing his arms in front of his chest.

 _"Out of curiosity, how did you get inside the apartment?"_ Meera asks folding her hands in front of her.

 _"Liz never looks the door and Kathleen's just as bad. I just walked in."_ Tom says nodding and laughing softly.

"And you're a lying pile of shit." he mutters noticing that Tom's fidgeting seems to have a pattern. Running fingers through his hair, rubbing his chin and tapping the table.

 _"Okay."_ Meera pulls a photo out of the file that she is holding and shows Tom the photos that one of the techs had taken of the box and all the items inside it.

" _What is this?"_ Tom asks looking at the photos in confusion.

 _"Liz found that under the floorboards of her and Kit's apartment."_ Meera states, stressing the fact the apartment is Liz and Kit's.

 _"What the hell is this?"_ Tom demands.

 _"You tell me."_ Meera says leaning back.

 _"I don't know anything about this. Liz can't seriously think I have anything to do with this."_ Tom says clearly aggravated and pushes the photos toward Meera.

"Hey…" Kit says softly coming into the room.

"You shouldn't be here." he tells her.

"I'm only observing, Captain America." she says coming to stand next to him.

 _"I don't know why this was in their house. I sure as hell didn't put it there."_ Tom says sternly.

"God, he is such an ass. You know he actually told all their friends that he's the one that filed for divorce because Lizzie had an abortion and was cheating on him with a guy old enough to be her dad." she tells him glaring through the glass.

If looks could kill Tom Keen would be six feet under.

"And people believe that bull?" he asked even barely knowing Liz, he could tell that she was the faithful sort.

"Some did but they were more his friends than hers. Liz has been told for years that she will have problems getting pregnant, anyone that knows her knows that she wouldn't even consider an abortion." she says placing a hand on her side.

"You okay?" he asks surprisingly worried.

"I'm okay. I know my limits." she says softly.

He shakes his head and turns to watch the interrogation.

 _"None of these belong to me."_ Tom says pointing at the photo of passports.

 _"Is this you?"_ Meera asks placing the photo that Cooper had given to her.

 _"I...possible."_ Tom says looking at it in confusion.

 _"Can you tell me why you were at the Angel Station Hotel in Boston on June twenty third?"_ Meera asks.

 _"I was there for a job interview. The Rothwell School in Cambridge. Liz and I made it into a mini getaway."_ Tom says.

 _"Liz was with you the entire time?"_ Meera asks.

 _"Yeah...we were together."_ Tom says nodding and tapping his fingers.

"No, she didn't see him at all the day of the interview." Kit states.

"How do you know that?" he asks turning and looking at her.

"She told me, besides she has photos on her laptop that shows that she was alone that day." she tells him. "I'm gonna go see if Aram needs any help otherwise I'm going to be tempted to strangle him." she says leaving him to stand there by himself.

 _"Who set up the interview?"_ Meera asks.

 _"It's been a year, you think I'm going to remember."_ Tom says running his finger through his hair.

"Yes."

 _"It was...Walter. Walter Burris. He contacted me, he's the headmaster there. He saw my application and wanted to meet me. I told Liz, and the two of us got a room at…..Tellamy Cove Inn. I used my card, you'll be able to verify everything. I met him at Angel Station for the interview."_

 _"It didn't seem strange to you, not meeting at the school?"_

 _"Not really. He had called early in the morning and said that he was going to be downtown and if I would mind meeting him there."_

 _"Wow, you really have bad luck."_ Meera says standing up.

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Your interview places you right at the same place that a man was assassinated, with the gun that was found in this box."_ Meera says pointing at the photo of the gun.

Tom swallows and looks at her in confusion. _"You know what. Call Walter Burris. He'll tell you that I was with him."_ Tom says clenching his jaw.

Meera walks out of the room and a few moments later joins him in observation.

"That man is a very skilled liar. I almost missed his tells." Meera says.

"I know what you mean." he says as they stand there and watch Tom Keen lower his hand onto the table.

* * *

 **Red**

He stands watching as people walk past him as he stars at the White House when he feels a hand on his arm.

"Hey." Lizzie says softly.

He smiles and leans down, his lips brushing against hers in a hint of a kiss. She runs her hand down his arm so that they are holding hands and he turns them so they can walk.

"First, how are you?" he asks.

"I'm okay. Hopefully we have answers soon. Either someone planted that stuff for me to find to doubt him for some reason or everything belongs to him."

"Why would someone plant those things?" he asks pulling her closer to him.

"Honestly, I don't know but I have a feeling you didn't call to talk about my ex." she says leaning into him.  
"You've heard of corporate espionage?" he asks.

"A little." she says shrugging.

"Normally companies will just try to beat each other slightly honestly. But there are those that take things a little further. In the eighties, seven people were killed in Chicago by an over the counter medicine laced with potassium cyanide. The company's share went from thirty five to eight almost instantly. It was never figured out how the drug came to be poisoned but someone was hired to do it. Deliberate and malevolent actions taken by corporations to protect their vital interests. Nothing happens by chance."

"You have a name for me?" she asks stopping and turns to face him. He instantly places his hands on the tops of her hips, instinctively pulling her against him.

"Yes. Gina Zanetakos. She is a corporate terrorist. One of the best." he says trying not to look down her shirt. He really needs to finish setting up their date.

"You're hiding something." she says taking off his fedora to look in his eyes.

"Lizzie...Gina Zanetakos is, or at least she was Tom's lover." he says watching her closely.

She huffs and looks away, "I'm not even going to ask how you know that. It's funny though, he accuses me of cheating and he was doing it." she bites her lip and looks down.

"What's wrong?" he asks moving his hand up until it is resting against her neck, his thumb rubbing softly.

"If it deals with Tom, I'm not sure if Cooper will want me touching anything." she tells him slowly looking up at him.

"Let me worry about Harold. Alright?" he says before dropping a light kiss on her lips.

"You keep kissing me and I'll let you do whatever you want." she says smiling and licking her lips.

"Promises, promises." he says smiling at her before dropping his mouth back on hers, all he needs is a small taste of her and he'll let her go.

* * *

He sits in a chair, tapping his fingers on his fedora. Lizzie had been reluctant to give it back after the last kiss.

Part of him wonders what he would have done if Dembe hadn't started coughing. He had never gotten so engrossed in something that he had forgotten where he was.

"Lizzie is worried that this business with Tom will keep her from being able to work with the new name that I have for you since it might deal with her ex." he says.

"There is no problem. I can understand her worry. Can you tell me anything about this new name?" Cooper asks.

"A less predictable but highly dangerous terrorist." he says.

"Alright." Cooper says standing.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"Has anything new come out on the box's contents?" Cooper asks as he and Meera enter his office.

"Ballistics found another print on the magazine of the gun. It's only a partial but we know for sure that it doesn't belong to Tom Keen. All the passports are really good forgeries. And Aram is still working on tracing the money." he says handing him a folder with all the information.

"I'm going to be meeting with Walter Burris from the Rothwell School. Sir...I can say honestly that I don't trust a thing that comes out of Tom Keen's mouth." Meera states.

"I agree." he says. "Ummm..Kit let me know that this guy has been bad mouthing Liz since she filed for divorce."

Cooper and Meera look at him strange.

"Never mind." he says shaking his head.

"I see, personal feelings aside, Reddington has brought us a case that might connect with this one."

"Umm, it might be a good idea to bring Liz in on this, sir." Meera starts. "More than any of us, she wants the truth."

Cooper nods and walks off.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Okay, according to Red, her real name is Gina Zanetakos." she says pointing at the photo that Kitty has put on the screen.

Aram is standing right behind Kitty, showing her what to do.

"About a year ago, Gina contacted him as Shubie Hartwell. Gina wanted him to broker a deal to assassinate a supreme court judge."

"Why that judge?" Ressler asks.

"This judge was the swing vote on a case that was going to cost her client billions." she says.

Aram points at something on Kitty screen.

Kitty puts it up of the monitor.

"According to customs, Shubie Hartwell entered the country yesterday. About an hour ago, a credit card in her name was used to purchase two cocktails at the Key Hotel." Kitty tells them.

"Alright, call the hotel manager. Have him start pulling security tape. I want to know who she was having drinks with." Cooper tells Kitty and Aram.

* * *

She rides the elevator with Ressler up to the room of the man that Gina had been having drinks with.

"According to Kitty, the room was rented to a Nadeem Idris. He's an attaché at the Turkish embassy." she tells Ressler reading the text to him.

"This the room?" Ressler asks the employee when they stop at a door.

The young man nods.

"We'll take it from here." she says as the wait for him to walk off. "If I haven't said it, thank you."

"For what?" Ressler asks.

"Knowing me enough to figure out that my ex is full of hot air." she tells him.

Ressler nods and draws his gun before unlocking the door.

She follows right behind him.

A man is sprawled out on the floor, pills scattered around him.

"Check him." Ressler tells her as he checks the room. "It's clear."

"We need an ambulance." she tells him feeling a very faint pulse.

"Okay I'll call and I'm going to check with security. Find when she left."

* * *

 **Ressler**

He quickly moves down the hallway, catching the elevator just before it closes.

"Mobilize the teams. Have them lock down the Key Hotel and a two block radius." he tells Aram. "Make sure that an ambulance gets through, send them right up to room, 1232."

The elevator stops and some people get off.

Once the door closes, something feels off, so he starts to turn.

Only to have a fist smash into his face.

Being in enclosed space, the woman gets the drop on him and jumps on his back. Putting him into a choke hold.

Slowly he feels himself lose consciousness.

He shakes his head when he hears ringing, slowly he sits up. He looks down and finds a cell phone next to him.

 _"Gina."_ Liz says when he answers the phone.

"Nope." he hisses out as he tries to get to his feet.

 _"Ress? How did you get Gina's phone? Did you catch her?"_

"I wish."

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Gina's phone is the best present you've ever gotten me." she says looking at Lizzie and Cooper. Aram is standing behind her, smiling.

He had let her do everything.

"It seems that most of her calls were to the Hanar Group. There's also tons of calls to burners so I we're unable to trace them. Unfortunately, this bitch is smart. She set up her phone that it automatically deletes her text messages completely off the phone and SD card. Voicemails on the other hand don't. This one is worrisome." she tells them as Aram starts the message.

 _"Plans have changed. Had to use cobalt sixty. Still good to go. Best guess four PM central."_ a man with a heavy accent says.

"Cobalt sixty?" Ressler says joining them, his cuts from dealing with Gina taken care of, "That's used to create a dirty bomb."

"Red?" she says looking at Lizzie.

"Yeah." Lizzie says turning as she takes her phone out of her pocket heading towards the elevator.

"You okay?" she asks as Ressler leans against the desk as Cooper and Aram walk off.

"Yeah, takes more than some...Black Widow wannabe to take me down." he says trying to laugh.

"Ahh, someone's been watching movies." she says smiling.

"On what little down time we have, yeah." he says looking past her to Meera stalking into the bullpen.

"What's up?" she asks turning to see Meera heading towards them.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like him." Meera mutters stopping beside them. "Want to see how he squirms himself out of this."

"Hell yeah." she mutters as she and Ressler head into the observation room.

They watch as Tom paces the room before Meera enters.

 _"You talk to Burris?"_ Tom asks.

 _"Sit down."_ Meera says pointing at the chair.

 _"Okay."_ Tom says sitting down.

Meera places a small photo on the table.

 _"Who's this?"_ Tom asks picking it up.

 _"That is Walter Burris. Headmaster of the Rothwell School and he's never heard of you."_

 _"No!"_ Tom exclaims standing. _"You are trying to trick me. Is this Liz's way at getting back at me for saying she had an abortion! I've never seen this man before. I met with Walter Burris in the coffee shop at Angel Station."_

 _"Really? You sure?"_

 _"I sat with the man for forty five minutes."_

 _"If the meeting only took that long, why didn't Liz see you at all the entire day?"_

 _"I..I didn't do this, alright? Is this their way at getting back at me? Is this some huge joke? All I did was meet with someone that said his name was Walter Burris and leave the hotel."_

"How did I never see how much of an asshole he really is?" she mutters.

"Some guys are good liars. He's good. We're better at catching the truth." he tells her.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She places her arm through his as they walk.

"What have you found out?" he asks.

"We have reason to believe that Gina is planning to detonate a dirty bomb. Somewhere in the central time zone. For some reason, she killed Nadeem Idris."

"Who was he?"

"Attache for the Turkish embassy. It appears like they were having an affair. I think he was just the means to an end."

"Hmm, any connection to your ex?"

"Unfortunately, no. Seems Gina is very smart. She set up her phone to delete text messages automatically. There was phone calls to burner phones, so who knows."

"I'm sorry sweetheart. I wish I had something that could help you." he says stopping and turning her to face him.

"Alright," she says sighing. "I should head back hopefully Kitty and Aram were able to find Gina's address." she raises herself up slightly and kisses him softly goodbye.

"Mmmm, am I going to get a kiss everytime I see you?" he asks against her mouth.

"Maybe...have our date planned yet." she asks smiling.

He groans, "Working on it, sweetheart."

Reluctantly she moves away, with a wave at Dembe she turns and leaves him standing there.

* * *

"We got an address." Ressler says the instant she steps off the elevator.

"Let's go." she says turning back to get on the elevator.

* * *

At Gina's apartment, she and Ressler search while techs move through the rooms. While looking around she notices a hidden compartment on the wall in the furnace.

"Ressler.." she calls bringing his attention to it as she opens it.

Inside she finds a box, wooden with the same symbol on top of it like the one that she found under her floorboards.

"Open it up." he says standing next to her as she places it on the counter.

She opens it and finds money, passports and some photographs.

"Interesting." she says showing him a photo of Victor Fokin.

"She was watching him." he says taking the photo out of her hand.

"Umm..sir. We found this by her bed." an agent says handing him another photo.

"Who is it?" she asks.

He turns it to show her. It's a torn photo of Tom, whoever was with him in the photo is gone.

"Hmmm...so he was a cheater on top of a lying asshole. Why am I not surprised." she says frowning at Ressler.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"He's claiming not to know who she is." he states. He's standing with the others in the bullpen.

"Of course he is." Cooper says sighing.

"Aram found something on Gina's hard drive." Kit says stepping forward.

"What is it?" Liz asks.

"A money transfer." Aram says bringing it up on screen. "It was placed into a dummy corp in Berlin."

"According to Interpol the funds are linked to a Maxwell Ruddiger." Kit says.

"Okay." Cooper says.

"I can talk to Red, with a name he'll be able to tell us more." Lizzie says nodding.

"Go." Cooper says.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Dembe lets her into the empty apartment before leaving the two of them alone.

"No. Hakim, that is not the problem." Red is pacing the room on the phone.

She stands there watching him.

"Shipping is my business." he smiles when he notices her and motions to one of the few chairs in the room. "According to my man in Houston, there is no payment. My merchandise doesn't ship until I receive payment."

She grabs his hand when he tries to walk past her and sits him in the larger of the chairs. Once he is seated, she sits on one of his legs, his hand instantly rests on her hip as she leans against him.

"It's been diverted to New Orleans, which is entirely unacceptable. Well, I don't care when the wedding is. All I care about is my payment. Hakim, this conversation is over." he says hanging up.

"Problems?" she asks.

"Not right now. What can I do for you, my dear?" he asks, his thumb stroking her hip softly and slowly.

"What can you tell me about Maxwell Ruddiger?" she asks slowly playing with the top button of his vest.

He gives a good full laugh, "Tremendous bomb maker but terrible drinker. However does get the job done."

"Gina wired him payment for something a few weeks ago." she says undoing the top button and tracing her fingertips down to the next button.

"Do you want me to see what I can get out of him?" he asks his thumb slipping under her top, grazing her skin.

"Please…" she whispers when his mouth hovering over hers.

"Since you asked so nicely…" he says as he cover her mouth with his.

He turns her so that they are nearly laying in the chair. She wraps her leg around his waist as his hand moves up underneath her shirt, his fingertips brushing against the bottom of her bra bringing a whimper from her..

"Raymond…" Dembe says entering the room.

She whimpers as he releases her mouth, each breathing hard. Slowly, he drags his hand away from her.

"Yes…" he growls slowly adjusting them so that they are once again sitting.

Reluctantly, she stands adjusting her top.

Dembe actually looks at her in amazement and slight fear as it dawns on him what he just interrupted.

"I should go. Call me when you know something." she says leaning down and brushing her lips on his.

"Of course." he says glaring at Dembe as she leaves.

* * *

 **Red**

"Now Maxwell...what are you thinking?" he says stepping into Maxwell's workroom. Dembe, the traitor, right behind him.

Dembe had apologized the entire plane ride to Germany while Luli sat there like the cat that ate the canary.

"Using Cobalt sixty in a device. Now there is only one reputable supplier. That is Yuri, our friend. Yuri, I like. His wife is an amazing woman. Now when your device goes off, everyone will be looking for him. If they look for Yuri, they'll look for me. As much as I like Yuri, he talks faster than a dress falls off on Prom night. So Max, I want to know about this device you made for Gina."

Max shakes his head, clearly drunk. "Red..I sorry...I no...Wouldn't betray you, no betray her." Max says slurring and forgetting words.

He sighs, "That's too bad. I'm currently in the middle of something very interesting and unique..in Syria. I thought I could find a place for you." he says standing and makes as if to leave.

"The car is….bomb. A sedan. Contamination...hmmm over five miles." Maxwell says quickly.

"When and where will it detonate?" he asks as he watches Dembe typing on his phone.

"When..nineteen hours. Where..don't know." Max stutters out.

He looks at Max before nodding at Dembe, "How about we ask her. Call Gina. All I want is to know where she is."

* * *

 **Ressler**

"Okay..our target is here. Let's make this clean and simple." he says as everyone gets ready. "You gonna be able to handle not strangling her." he jokes to Liz.

"Of course. I want her to talk." Liz says.

"Okay. Once you have a visual ID of the target, call it in. Scott or I will move in first. One of us will take her. I hear one shot and I will personally make your life a living hell."

 _"She's moving north"_ one of the agents say.

"I got visual. All units move in on my signal. Box her in." he says noticing that he and Liz are both getting close to Gina.

 _"Shit! She's making a break for it."_ Liz exclaims.

Quickly, the give chase. Liz is closer so hopefully she'll get her contained.

"Scott! Where are you?!" he yells losing sight of her and the target.

 _"Stairs. Bathroom."_ he hears under the sound of fighting.

Knowing where he lost them, he backtracks slightly, running down the steps.

Suddenly he hears the sound of Liz struggling to breathe.

He rushing into the woman's bathroom to find Gina holding a knife over Liz and her hand clearly around Liz's throat. He fires instantly not even saying a warning.

"Liz, you okay?" he asks slowly making his way over to them.

"I'm good. We need a medic." Liz struggles to speak as she crawls over to Gina and presses down on Gina's wound as she gasps for air.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Son of a bitch." she exclaims staring up at Cooper's office trying not to give into the temptation to throw her phone.

"What's going on?" Kitty asks as she comes to stand next to her.

"Zanetakos is in surgery and we only have hours before the bomb goes off." she mutters turning to look at Kitty and Aram.

"Lizzie.." Kitty says softly.

"Where are we on the bomb?" Ressler asks as he joins them.

"Captain, while I thank you for protecting my sister do you think next time you can just wing the bitch so we can get answers?" Kitty says without any real bite.

"Sure..the next time someone has Liz by the throat and has a knife hanging over her head, I'll take a moment to aim better." Ressler said with a scoff.

"According to Red, the bomb is dirty and it's built into a car. What do we know about the Hanar Group? Who are their enemies?" she asks looking at Aram and Kitty.

"Investors." Aram states as he starts typing on the computer to show them.

"The investors?" Ressler asks confused.

"The Hanar Group's stock is at an extreme low. They're being dragged down by a forty-eight percent drop in their largest division." Kitty says reading over Aram's shoulder.

"What division?" she asks.

"Shipping. They have a port in New Orleans." Aram says.

"I'll be right back." she says turning and walking down the hall, dialing.

"I need to talk to Red." she says when Red's man Newton picks up.

 _"Raymond...it's Elizabeth…"_ she hears Newton say, his voice slowly echoing.

"What do you know about New Orleans?" she asks the instant he gets on the line.

 _"Hello to you too, my dear. What would you like to know?"_ he says laughing.

"When I came over earlier, you were on the phone. Someone is getting married. You mentioned something about the New Orleans port."

 _"I remember what happened after better."_ she can hear the smirk in his voice.

Trying to calm the giddiness inside she stays on track, "You told the guy that the payment had been diverted. Why?"

He sighs, _"It is something that happens every so often however an associate of mine in New Orleans was advising illicit traffic in the Gulf to be rerouted to New Orleans."_

She laughs, "The Hanar Group hired Gina. They are a majority owner of a port in New Orleans. What happened to your payment?"

 _"It was diverted from Houston."_

"That's the target. New Orleans and Houston are two of the biggest ports. If Houston closes. All traffic is diverted to New Orlean. Their profits would soar since they'd be the only game."

 _"That's my girl."_ she hears him say as she hangs up.

Smiling she heads back to the bullpen, "Port of Houston." she calls out. "You need to halt all cargo, that's the destination. She's bombing the port."

* * *

She, Ressler, SWAT, bomb squad and the port authorities start searching the nearly twenty-five miles of port.

* * *

 **Kitty**

Pissed, she ignores Cooper, Aram and Meera, stalking down to the room that Tom is in.

"You are a fucking hypocrite, you know that!" she yells slamming and locking the door behind her. She can see Cooper trying to get in.

"What are you talking about?" Tom asks glaring at her.

"Your girlfriend? Fuck buddy, whatever the hell she is has been shot."

"What? Kathleen, what are you talking about!" Tom exclaims standing up.

She slams the photo on the table.

"Her. Gina. Shubie. Whatever she calls herself when she's with you." she says pointing at her.

"As I told the actual agent, the asshole. I don't know who this is!"

"Really. Why did she have a photo of you next to her bed?" she scoffs.

"There's no point in talking to you." Tom says crossing his arms in front of his chest and sitting back down.

"We know that she helped you kill Forkin." she says placing both her hands on the table, trying to ignore the pounding on the door and mirror behind her.

"I. Didn't. Kill. Anyone." Tom stresses each word.

"Did you help her with the bomb? Is that why you're back in town?"

"Looks like you're in trouble? Not suppose to be talking to me." Tom says motionin to the door.

"You know what? I'm so fucking glad that you are out of our lives. Keep spewing your bullshit stories." she comes over and stands over him, leaning to whisper in his ear. "The Queen has found a true King."

She leans back and smirks at the look of rage on his face. Walking backwards, she unlocks the door and leaves the room.

"What did you say to him?" Aram asks the instant she gets to the desk.

"Why?" she asks looking at the monitor to see Tom actually looking afraid.

"He looks scared." Aram says watching her face.

"Just told him that the Queen had found a King." she says playing with her bracelet.

"Pawn, rook, knight. Lizzie wears a red queen...who's the king?" Aram asks.

She just smiles and waits for Cooper to come yell at her.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"This will take us weeks to inspect." the SWAT commander tells him and Liz.

"We have an hour." he states.

"There's something we're missing. The Hanar Group hired Zanetakos. She had Ruddiger make the bomb. She killed…." Liz states.

"Nadeem Idris." he says slowly see where she is going.  
"What ships have been in or out from Turkey since last week?" Liz asks looking at the Port authority.

"None."

"I don't get it. What would she need with a Turkish diplomat? What would he have to do with getting a car bomb into the country?" he asks slightly confused.

"It's illegal to search diplomatic cargo." Liz says as understanding comes over him.

"Check the manifests for all incoming ships with items signed by Nadeem Idris." he says looking at the port authority.

It doesn't take them long to find the car after that. He stands with Liz as the Bomb squad checks the car.

"I've never seen anything like this before. The car is the bomb." the bomb tech tells them.

"Can it be disarmed?" Liz asks.

The look the tech gives them is enough that they know the unsaid answer.

"What if we drown it? The radiation would be contained underwater." Liz asks.

"We can use the crane to get if off." he says looking at the port master, who nods at him.

* * *

Slowly they watch as the car is lowered onto the ground.

The instant it reaches the ground, he rushes forward and all but pushes the guy inside out of the way.

Looking down, he notices thirty-four seconds left.

Quickly he starts the car and floors it towards the water.

Feet away from the edge, he opens the door and jumps out.

He sits up, watching as the vehicle surges into the water and is completely immersed when the bomb goes off.

* * *

"Since there wasn't airborne exposure, the contamination was contained which is the only reason this plea agreement is even in the works. Is that understood?" he growls at Gina Zanetakos laying on the hospital bed.

"I understand." Gina says with a bored look on her face.

"Your prints were found on a nine millimeter used to murder Victor Fokin last June. Did you kill him?" Meera asks.

He looks back at Liz standing in the doorway, annoyance clear on her face.

"Yes." Gina said.

"Why?" Liz asks standing straighter and looks at the woman.

"He was a Russian agent defecting. Someone didn't want him to talk." Gina says.

"Who?" Meera asks.

"Raymond Reddington." Gina says not looking at any of them.

"We found this in your apartment. Do you know who this man is?" Liz asks holding a different photo than the one they found of Tom up to Gina.

"Nope. Sure that photo was in my house." Gina says.

If he hadn't been watching, he wouldn't have noticed the look of recognition.

"Thank you." Meera says.

They turn to leave.

"She's lying." Liz mutters under her breath.

"Yup...what sucks is we can't prove it." he says.

"We have to let your ex go." Meera says.

"I know." Liz says sighing.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She watches as Lizzie leaves. She knows exactly where she is going and she really hopes that she has some fun.

"I don't blame her for getting out of here." Ressler says coming to stand beside her and Aram as Meera heads back to the interrogation room.

"Yeah, she's going to see a friend...You know that Gina is lying through her teeth, right? I highly doubt that Red would have hired her when he has better people." she tells him.

"Oh god...the pathetic thing is I know you are right." he says rubbing his eyes.

She looks up as Meera and Tom enter the bullpen.

"I told you I had nothing to do with this." Tom is saying.

"One of your agents with bring you back to your hotel." Meera states.

Tom looks over at her and Ressler, narrowing his eyes.

"I thought you didn't know who Burris was. You have him on your board." Tom says pointing, she turns and notices that he is pointing at a photo of Newton, Red's assistant.

Slowly counting under her breath she grips the edge of the desk.

"Hey. It's time for him to go." Ressler yells at a nearby agent.

The agent goes over and grabs Tom by the arm, forcing him to leave.

"Kit Kat, shockingly I trust Raymond Reddington over Tom Keen." Meera states.

All of them just start laughing.

"I'm going home and going to collapse in bed for a couple days." she says collecting her stuff.

"That sounds like a plan. I'll drop you off." Ressler says.

"Thanks Captain."

* * *

 **Lizzie & Red**

Dembe lets her into the empty apartment.

"What's this?" she asks noticing the blanket on the floor and a picnic basket.

"Our date, if you like?" Red says as Dembe closes the door behind him.

He came over to her and she breathed in deep. She was loving the smell of him. That combination of cigars, scotch and something uniquely him.

"A picnic?" she asks smiling at the simplicity of it and loving it.

"Do you approve?" he asks holding out a hand to her.

"Yes." she says placing her hand in his and following him to sitting on the blanket.

"I heard that you had to let Tom go." he says opening the basket.

"Yeah, Zanetakos took the fall. She must really love him." she says watching as he takes out cartons of Thai food and a couple bottles of beer.

"Is this okay? I should have asked…." he says actually nervous.

"Red...it's perfect." she says leaning forward and brushing a light kiss on his mouth. "Let's eat."

* * *

He fills the basket with the empty cartons and bottle before moving it out of the way.

"I like this." she says softly as she rests her head on his shoulder.

He rests his hand on her hip and lifts her face to his.

Softly he brushes his lips over hers. Capturing her mouth with his.

Her mouth working against his, her tongue swiping at his mouth, demanding entrance.

She lifted herself slightly and slid into his lap, resting her weight on him, her legs gliding along the soft material of his pants.

Tentatively her arms snake up his chest, across his shoulders, settling on his neck.

He pulled her closer as he leaned back, keeping her above him. Allowing her to be in control.

His hands slipping under and up her shirt.

She whimpered against his mouth and grinds her core against him.

He growled deep in his throat and dropped his head back.

"Lizzie..." he moaned, almost a warning. "I want...as much as I want…."

"Too much." she moans questioningly, her chest rising and falling quickly as she tries to catch her breath, leaning back and rests her hands on his stomach, rubbing small circles with her thumbs.

"Yes and no." he says looking at the goddess above him, "I am very possessive man and that most certainly applies to you..."

"Red..." she whispers his name, and he inhaled a deep breath.

"If we...do this..I want it to be done right." he tells her running his hand up and down her arm.

She licks her lips and closes her eyes. "Okay…" she leans down and brushes her lips on his.

"As much as I want you to stay…." he groans out.

"I should go home." she says slowly standing.

He closes his eyes and slowly counts in his head, thinking of anything to help him calm down or he is going to embarrass himself trying to stand.

"Don't move." he hears her say softly. He hears rustling than the sound of a click.

"Did you just take a photo of me?" he asks, opening one eye.

Taking in the sight of her, he is breathless. It's clear what they had been doing.

"The start of my private collection. You have your own folder." she looks down at her hand, holding something that he can't see.

"Really, what's it called?" he asks sitting up.

Biting her lip, she squats down, holding her hand over his.

"King…." she says opening her hand to reveal a Red King chess piece charm on a necklace.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Okay, thank you to everyone that is still reading..all of you are amazing.**

 **Frederick Barnes**

 **Kitty**

Standing outside the church, she jumps a little to keep warm.

"Hey Kitty." Sebastian says coming up the sidewalk. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Just needed air." she says smiling softly at him. Over the past two months since Red entered their lives, she had missed more meetings than she would have liked but this meeting was important.

"Lizzie, didn't come with you?" Sebastian asks looking around before opening the door to the recreational room under the church.

"No..she's on a date with Red. They're seeing each other." she tells him unable to stop the grin that spreads across her face.

Sebastian swallows hard, "How long have they been together? Last time we talked, I thought she was still fighting it."

"Last week, when Tom showed back up in town." she says forgetting that she hadn't told him about that.

Sebastian turns quickly to stare at her.

"I know. I should have told you but I couldn't...it dealt with Lizzie's job." she says biting her lip.

"This conversation isn't done…." Sebastian mutters as he walks into the meeting room.

"Kitty Kat." a certain voice says when she enters.

Looking to the left, she sees Lizzie, Red and Dembe standing there.

"What are you doing here?" she asks going over and wrapping her arms around Lizzie.

"Did you really think that I forgot what today was?" Lizzie says in her ear.

"No...I just…" she tries to say as her eyes start to water.

"Hey..this is important. We all wanted to be here." Lizzie says pulling back slightly, places her hands on her face and wipes the tears that have split away with her thumbs. "We're your family and…." Lizzie starts to say but is getting emotional as well.

"Sweetheart," Red moves close to Lizzie, she looks and notices his hand resting on her hip as he places a kiss on the side of her neck. "We are are here for you, Kitty Kat." Red says finally looking at her.

She smiles through her tears and reluctantly lets go of her big sister and hugs Red.

"Kitty...we need to sit down." Sebastian says coming over to them.

She nods, wiping her tears and heads over to one of the chairs. She looks back to see Red supporting Lizzie, both of them smiling at her. Dembe just nods, his face serene.

After a few minutes and everyone is seated, Sebastian nods to someone.

"Hello. My name is Shane and I'm an addict. I've been clean and sober for thirteen years. These meeting have been lifelines for me. Without them, I wouldn't be standing here today. Today's meeting is a special one. Many of us are experiencing milestones and after some discussion, I thought it to be wise for them to share. Who would like to go first?" Shane asks looking around the room.

She waits for others to get up and speak, breathing slow.

"One more...You ready?" Shane says looking right at her.

She nods and steps up to the podium, looking out at all those like her and their family members. She locks eyes with Lizzie and blows her a kiss.

"My name is Kitty. I am an addict..my drugs of choice were opium and pain meds, sometimes I even mixed them. I have been clean and sober for...two years, four months, thirteen days and seven hours. I have to count because I know that for many of us it's not one day at a time... every minute, every hour is a struggle. My addiction started when I was a freshman in college, I got hurt and everything was piling on me. I needed to not feel and I fell down the rabbit hole. Luckily, I have a sister and father that love me enough to fight and it's because of them and friends that I am able to stand here talking to you. I did everything that I was suppose to and like many before me, I fell...hard. My sister, my Queen, she..saved me once again. This chip is proof that everything she scarified to help me was worth it…" she's unable to finish as the dam breaks and the tears she has been holding back start streaming down her face.

She feels a hand on her shoulder and Lizzie is standing there, crying as well. Lizzie pulls her into her arms and the two of them stand there keeping each other standing.

"I love you, Kitty Kat." Lizzie whispers in her ear.

"I love you, too…" she whispers.

* * *

 **A Few Weeks Later**

She sits in the empty dining room, staring at the wall downing a bottle of water. She was slick with sweat from her run with Hudson. Over the past two weeks she had been training at a private gym nearby that Dembe had recommended but there were those days that just running around the neighborhood made her feel freer and less confined.

She hadn't been surprised when Lizzie and Luli started training with her. Dembe had even helped her create her own personal workout routine and he was also teaching her how to shoot anytime that he was at the Post Office. Ressler was also helping, teaching her about sharpshooting. Aram and a few others were teaching her more about computers.

She might not be an agent or an asset but she was going to be able to protect her growing family any way that she can.

"You do know that it's seven am, right?" Lizzie asks coming into the room, placing her bag on the floor.

"I know. I haven't been able to sleep." she says sighing playing with the three charms on her bracelet.

"Hey..he's gone." Lizzie says looking at the photo of Tom Keen that Kitty had tacked in middle of the wall.

Tom hadn't been seen or heard from since he left the Post Office part of her wonders and hopes that Red had something to do with that. Their dining room had slowly become a secondary hub on trying to figure out who Tom really was. Everything that they knew was on the wall, unfortunately it wasn't as much as either of them would like.

Red had admitted to them that he had hired Tom to look over Lizzie at a distance. Red had been livid when he found out that Tom had begun a relationship with her. He had let him go and Tom was suppose to disappear from her life completely but it seems that someone else had gotten a hold of Tom's leash and that's who they all were trying to figure out.

"I know that Gina was a murderer but taking the fall for Tom? It doesn't seem right...Wait, you're fully dressed and isn't that what you wore last night for your date. You're doing a walk of shame!" she exclaims jumping up staring at Lizzie, excitement running through her on the thought of gossip.

"I am not doing a walk of shame...we fell asleep watching a movie." Lizzie says blushing and not meeting her eyes.

"Really? What movie?" she asks.

"The Untouchables." Lizzie says gnawing her bottom lip.

"And if I were to call Luli or Dembe, they'll give me the same story." she says grinning.

Lizzie releases her lip and looks away, blushing. "Has Hudson gone out yet? I'll take him out."

She feels her eyes go wide. "I know something happened. You are not getting out of this…" she gets stopped by Liz's phone ringing.

"What's going on, Ressler?" Lizzie asks.

She scrunches up her nose, annoyed that she got blocked on gossip. She shakes her head and enters the kitchen to make them a pot of coffee.

"Kitty, turn on the TV. What channel?" Lizzie asks still on the phone.

She turns confused but does it.

 _This is the scene at D.C.'s Red Line Station. Details are still sketchy, but rescue teams and emergency personnel are arriving on the scene._

"Give me ten minutes." she says rushing upstairs as Lizzie talks with Ressler to take a extremely quick shower and get dressed.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She parks in the first spot she finds.

"Lady! You can't park there!" a cop says coming over as she and Kitty get out of the car.

"I'm gonna find Aram, see if he needs help." Kitty says quickly walking off.

"Officer! They're with me!" Ressler calls out watching as Kitty maneuvers past him.

"What do we know?" she asks walking over to him.

"It looks like a biological attack on the Red Line." Ressler tells her.

"I've never been so happy that I have a car, how many?" she asks taking in the scene.

"Thirty-seven dead. No one survived." Ressler tells her.

"Captain America! Vision found something!" Kitty yells as she and Aram run towards them. Aram is running a little slower, since he is carrying his laptop.

"You need to see this." Aram says holding his computer for her and Ressler to watch. "Transit Authority gave us access to their closed-circuit feeds."

"What?" Ressler asks looking at the computer screen.

"Watch this man with the briefcase. He boards the train at Dupont Circle holding it. Four minutes later, same guy exits the very next station, Woodley Park." Aram says as the three of them watch.

"Where's the briefcase?" she asks noticing it missing.

"This is the hard part…" Aram says showing them the footage of inside the train car, coughing and slowly dying. "He left it on the train. At precisely 6:42am, it started."

"I'll let the evidence guys know what to look for." Kitty says running off.

* * *

"I've contacted people I trust at the Agency." Meera tells them.

Kitty looks up from her monitor. Kitty is going through every database that she can, trying to figure out who the guy that left the briefcase is.

"Which one?" she asks knowing that Meera has multiple contacts.

"All of them." Meera states.

"What did you find out?" Ressler asks.

"Nothing. There was zero chatter prior to the attack." Meera states.

"Would that mean..that this isn't a terrorist attack?" Kitty asks confused.

"This is homegrown? Not foreign." she states.

"Looks like." Meera says sighing.

"Where are we on the briefcase?" Cooper asks.

Kitty looks at her with a small amount of nervousness.

"Kitty...tell him." she says.

"I contacted the CDC...and put in a request for them to release it to us as evidence. They said no." Kitty says biting her lip.

"You might not have the right level of clearance. Send another request with mine." Ressler says rubbing the side of his head.

"I did. I tried yours, Lizzie's, Meera's and even yours, sir." Kitty says looking at Cooper. "I got the same answer."

"Which was?" Cooper asks.

Kitty looks at her.

"They wouldn't tell her, so I took the phone and they told me. The briefcase tested positive for trace amounts of radioactive material. It needs to be decontaminated." she states.

"Oh hell…" Ressler states.

"I'm sorry..I tried to explain.." Kitty says.

"Kit..I don't blame you. I blame whoever that man is." Cooper says pointing at the screen.

Feeling her phone ring, she takes it out of her pocket and smiles at seeing **'King'** flash on the screen.

"Hello.." she says trying to keep a profession tone in her voice.

Kitty smirks more than likely catching the small change in her eyes.

 _"Letting me wake up alone was extremely unsatisfying, I did have a whole morning planned. Actually, I had the entire day planned."_

"I know. I'm sorry about that." she walks away slightly from the others, closer to Kitty's desk.

 _"A little snug, don't you think, Martin?"_ she hears him say.

"Another suit?" she asks trying not to giggle.

Hearing her, Kitty hides a giggle behind her hand.

 _"Yes, my dear. I have plans coming up with a certain enchanting creature that requires one. However, that is not the reason for my call."_

"Do you know who did this?" she asks.

 _"Yes..do you think you can meet me? In say thirty minutes? Dembe is sending Kitty the location, right now."_

"That Red?" Ressler asks her nodding at the phone.

She nods looking over at him.

"If he's got news. I'm going with you." Ressler states.

"I'll be there..with Ressler." she says silently apologizing.

 _"Joy...see you soon, baby. Love you."_ he says quickly before hanging up.

Luckily, she was looking down so no one saw her eyes go wide or notice her stop breathing.

"Where are we going?" Ressler asks.

Giving herself a moment to calm down, she looks at Kitty.

"Has Dembe sent you the location?" she asks breathing slowly.

Kitty leans forward clearly noticing something. "Yeah..hey Cap, check your phone." Kitty says with a grin.

"What?" Kitty mouthed why everyone is paying attention to something else.

"He said..love you." she mouths.

She watches as Kitty bites her lips and her eyes go wide. Kitty places a hand over her mouth and taps her feet excitedly.

"Ready to go?" Ressler asks turning to her.

"Yeah..let's go." she says finally able to keep a straight face.

* * *

 **Ressler**

It's watching the man closely when it's really noticeable.

The way that he looks at her. The innocent almost touches and always needing to be near her. The way that he speaks to her.

If he was a betting man he would put money on that without a doubt that Raymond Reddington, number four on the most wanted list is completely and utter in the process of falling in love with Elizabeth Scott, FBI profiler, his handler.

He's seen it happen with other assets. He had just suspected that Red was above it.

He has a feeling that he should tell Liz what he suspects so she can figure out how to deal with it. He knows that if he brought it up to Kit, the girl would try to convince her sister to go for it because even he thinks after Tom Keen even Reddington was an improvement.

He has a feeling that Liz might suspect and that's why she always tries to hold herself away from the man. He had noticed that Liz wasn't feeding his ego as much as she usually did over the past few weeks.

"The man you are looking for is Frederick Barnes." Red says placing his hands on the table in front of him.

He's on one side of the table and Liz is one the other but Red is staring right at her. There's a look in Red's eyes that he remembers from when he use to look at Audrey.

"Who is he?" Liz asks leaning her hip against the table.

"Hmmm, a former defense research scientist out of ARPAX in Annapolis. You may not be familiar with his name, but you're likely familiar with his work,biochemical agents such as black phosphorus and paratoxin. However, he was more than just a research scientist. He was gifted, a savant of government-sanctioned mass killing."

"Was? What do you mean?" He asks placing his hands on his hips.

"Around five years ago, he quit his job, sold his house...and entered my world. Selling his creations to the highest bidder, terrorist..me." Red states with a tilt of his head finally acknowledging that he was even there. "What are you plotting, Lizzie?" Red asks clucking his tongue when both of them look over to see her deep in thought.

"He reminds me of you." Liz says seemingly upset.

Red chuckles, "Oh, baby. Never compare him to me. While I'm perfectly comfortable with what I am...Barnes is a special animal. One with the tools and know how to kill thousands upon thousands of people at once. All he lacked was the desire."

Did he seriously call her baby and she not react. Damn, he thinks to himself. He shakes his head trying to ignore the fact that Red is actually human. "What's changed?"

"Good question. Barnes has always been the seller, the creator. If he's willing to use his work...he is the most dangerous man in the world."

He shakes his head.

"Scott, we gotta go." he says moving to leave.

"I'll meet you the car." she says frowning at Red. Probably going to talk to him about that 'baby' slip he thinks with a grin and heads to wait by the car wishing that he could be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

Ten minutes later she finally joins him looking a little flushed.

"What took so long? He try to wiggle out of calling you baby." he remarks as they get into the car.

"I don't think he'll ever call me baby around you again." she says with a smile.

* * *

They follow the doctor as she explains that all the victims were killed with Kurz disease. Something neither he nor Liz had ever hear of.

"You are not the only ones. It's extremely rare. Makes it so the veins and arteries harden until the body is starved of oxygen. Normally it takes at least a decade to run its full course."

Dr. Buckner leads them into a tarped off area containing the train station victims.

"Oh…." Liz breathes and he follows her line of sight to see a young boy on one of the gurneys.

"His name was Ryan Demsky, only nine years old. Here on vacation with his dad." Dr. Buckner tells them.

"How rare is this disease?" he asks tearing his eyes away from the boy and steps in Liz's view so she wouldn't have to see him any longer.

"Over the years there have only been a handful of Kurz worldwide however since July we have had nearly six hundred new cases which should be impossible since the virus isn't contagious."

"Our suspect has a background in biological and chemical warfare, is it possible for him to weaponize this disease? Make it more lethal.

"Yes..but he would have to have access to Strontium 90 which was found on the delivery device. He could have used it as an immunosuppressant."

* * *

 **Red**

"Strontium 90 isn't something that you can just grab willy nilly. It is a byproduct of nuclear reactors. Toxic. There is only a handful of people in the world that can produce it in sizable quantities." he tells Cooper while Lizzie, Meera, Ressler and Kitty enter the office.

"And you happen to know one." Cooper states.

He scoffs, "I know three." out of the corner of his eye he notices Kitty hip bump Lizzie and smirk at her. "The first was collected by the Russians last month. The second, vaporized in Quetta."

"What about the third?" Kitty asks as she wraps her arm around Lizzie's waist and gives him a Cheshire grin.

"Should be the supplier." he says wondering what on earth is making both his girls look like they are going to collapse in giggle fits. Part of him wonders is Lizzie mentioned his little slip with calling her baby in front of Ressler. Dembe isn't going to let him forget any time soon.

"Reddington. The name." Cooper growls.

"Impossible, Harold. You have no jurisdiction where he operates. However, I've set up a meeting so I should be on my way." he says standing.

"Red…" Ressler starts.

"Oh..hush Captain. The adults are still talking." Kitty says without any bite and a bright smile.

"Are you sure he will know how to find Barnes?" Lizzie asks.

"He knows how to get paid. Shall we?" he says standing and leaves the office with Kitty and Lizzie right behind him.

Once they step into the elevator, Kitty gives Lizzie a nod and suddenly he has arms wrapped around his waist.

"I thought there were cameras." he says as Lizzie kisses him. He wraps his arms around her as her hands slide up his chest and stop behind his neck.

"Kitty found the off switch." she says as he lifts her up off the floor a little.

"Mmmm, I wish you could come with me. All my plans ruined." he huffs as she nuzzles his throat.

"I wish I could but Aram was able to track down an old research partner of Barnes. Hopefully she can help me figure out what is going through his head." she says resting her head on his shoulder as they look over at Kitty.

"Kitty Kat, ever been to Cuba?" he asks wanting to at least make one of their days a little less stressed.

"No...and if I go with you Cooper can't complain as much." Kitty says with a smirk.

"Alright...what is causing the two of you to be so giggly?" he asks loving the mischief in their eyes.

"I might have told her about your little slip." Lizzie says slowly moving away from him.

"What slip?" he asks looking down at Lizzie.

"A certain four letter word?" Kitty says with a grin.

"Baby. Is this still about calling you baby in front of Donald?" he asks reluctantly moving away from her as the elevator starts to slow.

Kitty starts laughing, full belly laughs. "Oh, that is priceless. I didn't know about that one."

That one, he wonders slightly confused

"You really don't have any idea what she means?" Lizzie asks looking a little sad before shaking her head. "You know what don't worry about it. It must have been a slip of the tongue." she quickly gives him another mouthwatering kiss before pulling away as the elevator stops.

He follows behind as Kitty does something with the tablet that she is holding.

"I hate to see her go but love the way she leaves." he says watching as Lizzie nods at Dembe before heading across the street to where Ressler is waiting for her.

"We need to get going if we're going to reach Havana by noon." Dembe says nodding at him and Kitty.

He allows Kitty to enter the car first. When he gets in Luli has her arms wrapped around Kitty's stomach and Kitty is resting her head on Luli's shoulder.

He leans his head back against the back of the seat.

"Bad day, Raymond?" Luli asks.

"All my plans for the day were wrecked. Please say something nice to me." he pouts.

"How about some good news? It's gone on the market." Luli says handing him a folder.

"It's for sale?" he asks a slight tremor in his voice.

"What is?" Kitty asks.

"Something important. Purchase it." he tells Luli closing the folder.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She and Ressler walk up the path. Ressler knocks on the door.

"Yes." an attractive older woman says when she answers.

"Mrs. Forrester?" she asks as she and Ressler each take out their badges.

Mrs. Forrester nods.

"I'm Special Agent Scott. This is my partner, Special Agent Ressler. FBI."

"Oh my.." Forrester breathes.

"We'd like to talk to you about Frederick Barnes." Resslee says.

Mrs. Forrester opens the door and shows them inside.

"Honey, this is the FBI. They have questions about Frederick."

"Anne and I will help you anyway we can." the husband says leading them to the dining room so the can seat comfortably.

"I'm not sure where to start." Anne says.

"Just tell us about him." she says.

"Well..he was brilliant, ahead if his time what we consider fringe science he thought was possible. He loved his work. I..I never understood why he left."

"Did you know of any problems that he might have been having in his personal life or at work?" she asks.

Anne laughs, "We didn't have time for personal life. We worked sixteen hour days."

"Anne was almost living at the lab thanks to him." the husband states.

Anne's smile changes, becomes a little softer. "Frederick was obsessive. Each problem was a puzzle that he needed to solve."

"Do you remember when you last spoke to him?" Ressler asks.

"I think it's been around five years. Is he in trouble?" Anne tells them.

A young boy rushes into the room. She schools her face not to react to the sight of the blackened arteries, just like the victims that are clearly noticeable. She looks at Ressler and he nods having seen them as well.

"This is our son, Ethan." the husband states.

Ethan ignores them and talks quietly to Anne before leaving the room.

She chews at the inside of her cheek. " Do you happen to have a old phone number for Barnes? Anything will help." she says.

"I think so." Anne says standing and heading into the kitchen.

She gets up and follows.

She quietly comes to stand next ro Anne.

"I'm sorry to ask this but does Ethan have Kurz disease?" she asks.

"Yes..Kurz is very rare. How did you know?"

She swallows, hating as the thought of the little boy flashes in her mind. "Because less than two hours ago I saw dozens of corpses infected with a weaponized version of the disease. Barnes released it on the Red Line a little before seven am this morning. He killed thirty seven people including a nine year old boy and pregnant mother."

Anne just looks at her in utter horror.

"I'm having a hard time thinking it's a coincidence that your son is infected with the same disease that Barnes is now using to commit mass-murder."

"Frederick is his father." Anne whimpers out as tears roll down her face and she covers her mouth.

"I'm sorry. Is Barnes aware of this?" she asks.

"Yes. When Ethan was diagnosed with Kurz. We were told it was unreadable. Frederick refused to believe it. He reached out to all his contacts to get research funding. All of them turned him down."

"When was this?"

"Five years ago."

Barnes entered Red's world to get the money for funding, she thinks.

"Did they tell him why?" not looking forward to the answer.

"It's too rare. Small disease means small product." Anne says sighing.

She nods.

After a few more minutes, she and Ressler leave.

"What did you find out?" Ressler asks.

"A motive. Kurz doesn't have enough victims so there's no point to find a cure. He wants to infect as many people as he can to get it on the radar..for his son." she tells him as they get into the car.

"I'm lost." Ressler says.

"The more people that die from it. The more it is talked about."

"Which means it's more profitable to research. God, that sounds insane. But that means the Red Line was just the beginning "

* * *

 **Kitty**

She sits in the backseat of Red's car as he goes across the street to meet with the guy that will hopefully get them access to Barnes.

She smiles as she listen to him talking to someone in Spanish.

"I am surprised you got him to agree to the mic." Dembe says not even looking at her.

"There's no way I'm going to let my brother go any place without some sort of protection." she says with a smirk as she loads up a program on her laptop.

 _"Manny. You look like hell."_ Red says, his voice joyful and playful.

 _"Says the devil himself."_ a man with a accent says.

She hears laughs and the sound of a man hug.

 _"What brings you my way?"_ Manny asks.

 _"You, Manny. And...Strontium 90."_

"I knew I should have made him wear an earbud cause yelling at him is zero fun if he can't hear me." she growls wishing that he hadn't jumped right in.

 _"Of course. You couldn't want drugs or Qassam rockets like a normal Diablo."_

Red laughs and she smiles.

"He loves this stuff doesn't he?" she asks catching Dembe's eye in the mirror.

"He loves your sister more." Dembe says.

"I know that and she feels that. He just hasn't said it yet. She thought he said it earlier but he doesn't seem to remember."

"I know." Dembe says nodding.

 _"Twelve kilos."_ She hears Red say.

 _"What are you planning to do with twelve kilos of Strontium 90?"_

Dembe's phone starts ringing. He puts it on speaker.

 _ **"Buenos."**_

 _"I have the funds for the purchase."_ Luli says.

She had gotten Luli to tell her that she was purchasing a house but that was it.

 _"I can proceed on his word."_

"Good." Dembe says.

"He's almost done, Luli." she calls out.

 _"Thank you Kitten."_ Luli says with a purr.

She grins and shakes her head. Dembe hangs up the call.

 _"I need at least three weeks...and gonna cost six million."_ Manny states.

"Dude..when Red wants something, he doesn't like to wait.." she mutters under her breath.

 _"Haha. I need it now."_ Red says laughing.

"Told you." she says smirking.

"You know he can't hear you." Dembe says laughing at her.

She just sticks her tongue out at him.

 _"Fresh out. You need to wait."_

 _"Maybe I should get in touch with your buyer and make them an offer."_

 _"You threatening to cut me out?! We're not that good of friends, gringo."_

 _"Are they going to pull their guns and hold them sideways at me?_

"Dembe?" she asks wondering why he is still sitting there.

"He's fine, Kitten." is all he says.

She tunes out everything else that is said when she notices that Red has turned on the listening device.

"See." Dembe says pointing as Red crosses the street and joins them in the car.

Red places a couple bags of food in the front seat as Dembe starts the car.

"Well?" she asks.

"I thought you were listening?" Red says with a grin.

She shrugs.

"He should be calling Barnes any minute now."

She looks down at the computer. "Gotta love the devil for timing."

"Start tracing, Kitty Kat."

"I have a location." she says showing Red.

Red takes his phone and dials Lizzie.

"A bottle of beer, a good movie and you in my lap." Red responds to whatever Lizzie asked him.

She just covers her mouth.

"I have a location for you, sweetheart." Red says smiling.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He and Liz arrive at the Arlington courthouse to search for Barnes.

He had already updated Cooper on their way there.

Bypassing the metal detector by flashing their badges, they split up to cover more ground.

He pulls the fire alarm to lessen the amount of possible victims and to get extra help if needed.

He's on the second floor when he hears muted screaming. He finds doors locked with zip ties. He's unable to open it as it slowly starts to get quiet on the other side of the doors.

Noticing some firemen, he gets a tank and mask. Plus a way to open the doors.

After making sure no one else is in the hallway. He enters the room.

People are lying on the floor. Black arteries visible like the victims of the Red Line.

Shockingly, he hears terrified crying.

He moves through the bodies to find someone, a young woman alive.

He quickly gets her out of the room.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

After being chewed out by Cooper and Ressler telling her that she doesn't belong in the field, she finds a quiet spot and calls Red.

 _"Sweetheart..your dear sister is trying to corrupt poor Dembe by making him watch this movie called Stargate."_ Red says and she can hear Kitty in the background trying to hush him.

"Red….." she whispers trying to keep from crying.

 _"Lizzie..what's wrong?"_

"I messed up. Barnes got away because of me. Cooper blames me. Ressler doesn't think I belong in the field because I made the wrong call.."

 _"Baby...stop. How can I help?"_

She laughs softly, "Just hearing your voice is helping."

 _"Give me the phone.."_ Kitty says.

 _"Say please."_ Red says.

"She'll annoy you til you give it up." she says softly.

She hears muttering then knows that Kitty won.

 _"Lizzie, don't let Ressler get to you. From what I've heard, Captain America messed up a lot while he was chasing after Red. I'm handing you back to him. I love you."_

 _"Lizzie, we've heard that there was a survivor from the courthouse."_ Red says when he comes back on the line.

"Yeah..do you think Barnes would go after her?" she asks standing up and slowly making her way to Meera.

 _"Barnes is a scientist. He is going to want to know why she didn't perish with the others."_

* * *

Luckily it didn't take much to convince Meera that the two of them should check on the survivor.

"Could we have gotten here before him?" she asks when they see that the young woman is sleeping.

"While I doubt it, Red could be wrong." Meera says looking around the room.

"What's going on?" Buckner asks entering the room and heading right for her patient.

"We have reason to believe that Ms. Rubin is in danger." Meera states.

Buckner seems confused when Ms. Rubin doesn't wake up.

"Who has been in this room?" she asks barely looking at the guard.

"Just the Doc and a nurse." the guard states.

"No one besides me was to have access." Buckner says worried.

"I hate it when he's right. Lock down the hospital. I want every employee identified." Meera says pushing the security out of the room clearly pissed off.

"Is she okay?" she asks coming to stand by the bed.

"I don't know. Help me." Buckner says moving a blanket and rolling the girl on her side.

There's a small amount of blood on the sheets.

"Is that blood?"

"No. That's...someone did a bone marrow biopsy on her." Buckner states.

* * *

"He's a scientist. His son is sick and there is no cure." she mumbles as she and Meera stand in the hallway.

"What if he was searching for something by trying to infect people?" Meera states clearly thinking like a mom.

"I think these were experiments, he was searching for something." she says feeling sick to her stomach.

"Like someone with a natural immunity." Meera states.

"Yeah, Elysa's test results came back. She has no sign of infection."

"So he took her bone marrow to what create a cure?" Meera asks.

"If he thinks he has a cure..Ethan." she exclaims and with a small amount of fear she and Meera take off running.

* * *

They had just barely made it there in time.

Now Ethan was being loaded into a ambulance to make sure there were no consequences of Barnes drugging him.

She had taken the shot this time before Barnes could inject his 'cure' in his son.

Unfortunately part of her wonders if she should have allowed him the chance but she remembers everyone else that has suffered for his 'cure'.

She watches as Barnes is loaded into the corner van. She looks across the street and breathes a sigh of relief to see Red standing there.

Quickly she crosses over to him.

"I see that Barnes is no longer with us." he states nodding to the van.

"I couldn't let him give what he thought was a cure to his son. What if he was wrong?" she says moving within arms reach of him.

There was too many eyes around for her to wrap her arms around him and bury herself in his scent.

"While his methods were unorthodox. A man that's willing to burn the world down around him to protect the person they love, that's a man I understand."

She reaches out and places her hand on his wrist and takes a breathe. The one thing that today has shown her is life is short and fleeting.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" she asks leaving the 'in your bed' unsaid for the moment.

"Yes." he says opening the car door and she joins him.

"Do you think Luli would mind staying with Kitty? It's bad enough that I left her alone last night." she asks leaning her head on his shoulder and cuddling into him the instant Dembe starts driving.

"I have a better idea. Why doesn't Dembe go collect her and Hudson after he drops us off. There's someplace I want to show the two of you tomorrow."

"I'd like that." she says breathing in the smell of cigars.

* * *

 **Red and Lizzie**

He leads her inside as Dembe pulls away. She holds his hand as he brings her right to his bedroom.

"Would you like something to sleep in?" he asks wanting to get her comfortable.

"One of your shirts." she says softly.

He starts to turn to get her one when she reaches out and grabs his hand.

"Red..wait." she whispers.

"Hmm?" he questions.

"Kiss me."

Two simple words stirred his emotions. He stepped in close to her and pulled her against him. He knew the buttons of his shirt and vest were digging into her skin. Slowly her mouth opened under his, allowing him a deeper taste of her as her hands ran up his arms, stopping on his shoulders, her nails digging in.

Reluctantly, he broke off the kiss and embraced her tightly.

"Lizzie.." he breathlessly whispered.

"Raymond.." she whimpered against his mouth.

The sound of her saying his name went straight through him. He framed her face with his hands and slowly placed light kisses on her eyes before covering her mouth with his own.

Slowly she moved her hands to the buttons of his vest, quickly undoing them and started on the ones on his shirt.

He placed his hand over one of hers, trapping it over his beating heart.

"Lizzie…" the question was clear in his voice.

"Please…" she whimpers.

He felt her breath on his neck. He tilted his head to give her better access and was rewarded with her talented mouth biting and licking the flesh at the base of his neck.

Pure desire flooded his body, racing like a current through him until her every touch felt like a surge of pleasure. His body urged him to act, but his love for her and need to allow her control won out.

Her nails raked down his chest, when had she fully undone his shirt he wondered, before resting on his belt buckle.

She had awakened his emotions, his very soul and he knew there was no turning back. He belongs fully to her.

Slowly, she moved her lips down his torso so until she was kneeling in front of him.

His hands found her hair and gently pulled her back up so he could kiss her again. While the thought of her mouth on him nearly undid him. He wanted to make this last. He grasped at the edge of her shirt seeking to divest her of it, silently asking permission.

Her arms raised in the air and he pulled back to watch as her skin was revealed to him, inch by inch.

He hummed his approval at the beauty of the woman before him and gently smoothed his hands from the top of her jeans up to her ribs, then around to her back to release her red lace bra.

"Are you sure?" he asks once more.

She smiles softly and nods.

He slowly removed the bra, raising goosebumps on her flesh as his fingers trailed along her arms and let it fall from his fingers to the floor.

"You're exquisite, my love." he whispers as he drops a kiss on shoulder.

Her hands were on him again, followed by her lips once more tracing a path down his torso. This time as she sunk to her knees, she gazed up at him as she released him from his slacks.

"Lizzie…" he hissed her name as she takes him into her mouth.

It's not like she hasn't done this to him before but tonight seems different and he's not sure why. Reluctantly, he pulls her to her feet before he embarrassed both of them.

"I thought you liked…" she says softly confusion clear on her face.

"Very much so however I want to last." he says moving his hands under her ass and picks her up forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist.

He lays her on his bed, following with her since she refuses to let go.

"Red?" she says softly as she scratches at the skin she can reach and he nibbles on her neck.

"Hmm?"

"Make love to me."

He stops and looks at her. She rolls her hips underneath him and drags his mouth to hers.

"This feels too good to be true. I'm sure that I must be dying somewhere dreaming this." he whispers against her skin as slowly they remove the rest of their clothes.

"This isn't a dream." she sighs as his hand runs down her body.

He moved slightly down before settling himself between her legs, his fingers caressing her skin softly.

He ran his lips up the inside of her thigh and groaned as her scent overloaded his senses. He let his tongue trace a path to her core and inhaled deeply before he tasted her.

She writhed and moaned as he alternated between tongue fucking her and stroking her with his fingers.

He brought her to the edge twice and eased her back down before he began a full on assault. He could hear her chanting his name between curses and affirmations, body shuddering and jerking in an orgasm that he sustained for what seemed like an eternity.

He crawled up to her, kissing along her body. He rested himself against her core, teasing her to bring soft moans from her. He smiled as she finally opened her eyes and met him with a smile of her own. He kissed her breathlessly.

She whimpered and said something into his neck.

"Lizzie?" he asks moving his head slightly to look her in the eye.

"I love you." she tells him again.

Wordlessly, he pushed into her, just to the head and withdrew slightly.

"I love you." she whimpers again.

"I wanted to tell you first. I love you." he says as he slides fully into her.

She whimpers as he begins to move each of them whispering their love to the tempo of his thrusts. He heard her breath catch as he filled her, felt her heart race beneath his lips and shuddered as the intimacy of the moment enveloped both of them.

He kissed her thoroughly, then sped up his movements and watched the pleasure play across her features. He found an angle that made her body twitch beneath him and held it. Her heels urged him to thrust harder, faster. She clutched at his arms and back, grasping for a hold as he drove into her. He could feel her body tense and knew she was close.  
She chanted his name as she reached her climax, body trembling and jerking beneath his.

He felt her tighten around him and knew he couldn't stop his own climax. He continued to thrust into her, his movements becoming erratic until he found his own climax calling her name. He held his weight off of her, but stayed close not wanting to break contact.

Reluctantly he moved away from her and entered the connected bath for a towel.

He took care of them both, discarded the towel and gathered her into his arms, He pulled her body flush to his and secured his arm around her middle.

He kissed her softly and pulled her back into his arms as they slowly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Dembe**

He scrambles enough eggs to feed the houseful as Luli enters the kitchen.

"How did you sleep?" Luli asks.

"Fine...once the moaning stopped." he said with a straight face.

"I never knew Red could be so vocal." she says with a smirk as Kit comes in with Hudson right behind her. A little out of breath from her run. Hudson collapses on the floor staring up as if blaming him for all the running he just had to do. he grabs a piece of sausage off on of the plates near him and tosses it down to the tired dog in slight apology.

"Okay, this neighborhood is amazing. Think Red will let Lizzie and I stay for a few days." Kit says as he hands her a bottled water from the fridge.

"Umm...morning." Liz says as she comes in wearing one of Red's dress shirts and a pair of boxers that he knows belong to Red.

"How do you like your coffee, Liz?" he asks as she sits down next to Luli. Even though this wasn't the first time she stayed over it was the first she stayed long enough to eat in the morning.

"Light and sweet." Liz says with a smile.

"Red still sleeping?" Kit asks stealing a mushroom off the plate of veggies for the omelettes on the counter near the stove.

"I saw that." he says slipping into his native tongue.

"Saw what?" Red asks, fully dressed save a vest, when he enters the room.

Red comes over and kisses Kit on the cheek before moving around the table. Red has Liz stand, moves to his spot at the head of the table, sits and has Liz sit in his lap.

"So have you told her finally?" he asks still speaking that none save Red will understand.

"That I love her. Yes." Red says kissing the side of Liz's neck making her giggle.

"Okay, not fair speaking in a language we don't know." Kit says pouting.

"Sorry…" he says adding some of the veggies to the pan.

"Maybe you should teach me." Kit says jumping up and sitting on the counter on the other side of him. Her eyes bright and mischievous.

"Not wise." Red says in the language.

"If not everything maybe just the swear words. I would love to bitch put Fury and Captain America without them knowing." Kit says trying to charm him with a playful smile.

"Be strong, my brother." Red says as Liz curls against him.

"She's stubborn." Liz says with a smile.

"Relentless." Luli says with a knowing smirk.

"Enchanting." he mutters freezing. He turns to look at Red.

Red just narrows his eyes and he glances over at Luli, who looks at him in confusion. Luckily, no one else had understand him.

"One condition." he states looking at her.

"What?" Kit asks with a grin.

"You teach me to beat Red at chess." he says with a grin.

Red laughs.

Liz smiles, "What's the plan for today?"

* * *

 **Kitty**

Dembe pulls to a stop in front of a house. It was just the four of them since Luli had things to do.

"Red?" Lizzie asks as all of them get out of the car.

They enter and Dembe disappears instantly.

"It seemed bigger." Red says as they walk the first floor.

"What is this place?" she asks looking at Lizzie in confusion.

Red swallows looking right at Lizzie. "I raised my family here...until they were taken from me." Red says.

She wraps her arms around herself.

Lizzie moves to Red and wraps her arms around him.

"How?" Lizzie breathed.

"I don't know. I came home and everything was destroyed, blood everywhere. I had empty graves done so I could at least be able to visit something." Red says looking at a door frame.

He moves away from Lizzie and pulls away some of the boards exposing a growth chart.

She moves over to Lizzie, both of them crying. Dembe enters the room.

"Time to leave." Dembe says.

"Alright." Red says his voice rough. He holds out his hand and Lizzie grabs hold as the two of them walk out.

"He's never going to step foot in this house again, will he?" she asks following Dembe out.

"No one will." Dembe says.

They get into the car.

"That was a goodbye." she states as Dembe drives away.

"Yes." Red says pulling Lizzie close to him.

The car pulls away and shortly after, there are several explosions behind them. She looks out the back window her eyes wide.

The house is engulfed in flames.

Red drops a kiss on Lizzie's head and doesn't bother to look back. He just closes his eyes and seems to breathe a sigh of relief.


	8. Chapter 8

**General Ludd  
Dembe**

He smiles as he looks around the room from the doorway. Enjoying the scene that has slowly become a norm on the weekends over the past month.

Luli is sitting on the couch, bottles of nail polish on the floor next her debating which one she is going to use.

Hudson is curled in a ball near her.

In the armchair in the far corner, Red is sitting there with his arm around Liz, the two of them working on the Sunday paper crossword.

Kit is sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the couch as she sets up the chess board, humming softly.

"Kitty…." Liz says looking over at her sister with a knowing smile.

"What?" Kit says with a smirk as she places the pieces on the board.

"What are you humming? You do it every time the two of you play?" Luli asks looking up at him.

"She hasn't told me yet." he says coming into the room and sitting down on the floor across from her after placing his cup of coffee down.

Kit looks at him under her lashes, a knowing smile on her lips.

"Kitty..be nice." Liz says with a grin.

"Pawns are the first line of defense. Rooks, knights and bishops surround the king and queen. The queen protects the king but without the queen everything falls to ruin." Kit says with a soft smile.

Red laughs softly.

"Who taught you that?" Luli asks.

"Our dad." Liz says leaning her head on Red's shoulder.

"So he taught the two of you how to play." Luli remarks.

Kit nods and arches an eyebrow at him. "We gonna play or what?"

"I need a shower." Liz says standing. "Join me?" Liz asks holding out her hand to Red.

Red smiles and follows her out of the room.

"Ear plugs or crank the music?" Kit asks looking at him.

"Music." he and Luli say at the same time.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She pulls off her night clothes the instant they enter the room.

Slowly, he enters behind her, tracing his fingertips down her side and resting his hand on her hip.

She leans against him as he starts kissing her neck.

"I love you." she whispers placing her hand over his.

"I love you too." he says turning her to face him and picks her up, walking them into the bathroom.

She hears the sounds of ABBA fill the house.

"Think they're trying to tell us something." she laughs against hismouth as he slowly lowers her to her feet.

"Yes...see if we can be louder." he says with a smirk as she helps him remove his clothes.

She rests her hands on his back, slowly tracing his burn scars.

"Lizzie.." he says dropping his mouth to hers, brushing her lips with his.

"I know." part of her was hurt that he still wouldn't tell her everything but she got that there were things that he wanted to protect her from. His scars were only one of them.

She moves away and with a sultry smirk she pulls him into the shower.

"Let's see if they can hear you over the water and music." he says turning on the water.

"Or you." she says as she starts soaping up her hands and kneels at his feet.

"Oh..that's not fair." he growls as she starts moving her soapy hands up his legs.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Why does it feel so weird every time we come back here?" Lizzie states as she enters the kitchen.

She looks up from her bowl of cereal, "Let's see. It's just you, me and Hudson compared to a full house."

"I love this place, it just…." Lizzie bites her lip as she pours herself a cup of coffee.

"It doesn't feel like home any longer." she states understanding.

Lizzie nods sadly. "I know what you mean. I wonder…." Lizzie is broken off by the house phone going off.

She gets up and goes over. "It's dad. Hi, daddy." she says picking it up and moving the receiver so both of them can talk to him.

"Everything okay?" Lizzie asks.

 _"Does something need to be wrong for me to call my beautiful girls?"_

"How are you?" she asks looking at Lizzie.

Lizzie nods telling her that she hears it too.

 _"Picture of health. Now what's this I hear about a boyfriend and why haven't I met him yet?"_

"Daddy…" Lizzie says smiling.

"Sounds like Sebastian is telling stories." she says trying to grin but a nagging feeling in her stomach stops her.

They hear coughing come over the line.

"Dad. What's wrong?" Lizzie asks.

She gives her a worried look.

 _"Nothing. Other than a little girl that seems to be playing doctor today and wants to run some series of tests."_

"You're in the hospital. We can be the later today." Lizzie states as she grabs her laptop ready to book a flight.

 _"No. Girls, I'm fine. This is nothing serious. It's just simple tests."_

"When?" she asks softly trying not to cry.

 _"Sometime today. Probably after the Doc's nap time."_

"Dad. No jokes. You are our dad, if this is serious. We want to be there for you."

 _"It's just a simple test, my pawns."_

"Daddy, Lizzie is a queen not a pawn." she says as a tear rolls down her cheek. Lizzie wraps her arm around her, pulling her close.

"Yeah, dad. I need my bishop." Lizzie says roughly.

 _"Girls, I will be fine."_

"Alright. Leave your phone on and call one of us the instant it's done."

 _"Okay…"_

"Dad, I love you." Lizzie says wiping off the tear that has escaped her eyes.

"Love you, Daddy.." she whispers.

 _"Love you both, babies."_

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"What do you need in ViCAP?" she asks him as she leads him away from Cooper's office.

"It's one of those things that I can't tell you about." Red says stopping her out of everyone's view so that she is leaning against the wall.

"Red.." she says still upset about her dad's phone call.

"My Queen, what is wrong?" he asks placing a hand on her hip and leaning into her.

"My dad...I know something is wrong. I can feel it. I'm scared." she says, her voice shaky.

He leans forward resting his forehead on hers.

"Deep breaths, my love." he whispers.

She closes her eyes and takes three deep breaths before opening them again.

"I'm okay. He says it's simple tests and I need to trust that. I need to be strong for Kitty."

"That's my girl. Ready?" he says moving away from her.

* * *

She smiles at Kitty and Aram.

"Okay, Red thinks that General Ludd is behind this attack." she begins.

"Who is General Ludd?" Ressler asks.

"Kitty." she says looking at her sister who smirks before standing.

"General Ludd is a what not a who." Kitty says bringing the Ludd symbol up. "Part of their name is from a nineteenth century group called the Luddites."

"Who were a militant wing of a popular struggle against industrial capitalism." she finishes with a nod to Kitty to keep going.

"Back in '97. Ludd took the credit for a car bomb that hit the Economic Summit in Switzerland. Nine people were killed." Kitty says.

"I remember that. I believe at least two were finance ministers." Meera states.

"Give the girl a cookie. That's right. In '05, Ludd released the source code that is used for protecting trade for international stockholders. Nearly a few hundred million dollars worth of a computer glitch was the outcome." Kitty says holding out a box of Girl Scout cookies that she must have found somewhere.

Meera smirks and takes one.

"Okay..that one's not too bad, so the fat cats lost some food." Ressler states frowning at Kitty until she holds out the box to him..

"This group is extremely well-educated." Kitty states.

"And impossible to identify." she tells them.

"So Reddington has the ID for one of them?" Ressler asks.

"Better." Kitty says putting a photo on screen.

"This is the founder, Nathaniel Wolf. The man ultimately responsible for the plane coming down. Unfortunately, this is the only known image of him." she says pointing at the photo.

Cooper nods, "Find him."

* * *

Ressler rushes in a few hours later.

"Got it." Ressler says handing something to Aram.

"What is this?" Kitty asks looking at him like he has gone insane.

"Arthur Denning has only been at Greenbow for three months. He accessed a remote warehouse at 2:16AM." Ressler says as a photo come on screen.

She narrows her eyes at the photo.

"Are you sure?" she asks looking at him.

Ressler nods.

"Kitty, bring up Roger Gard." she says.

Kitty nods and both photos are now side by side.

"What the fuck?" Ressler states.

"Okay..Arthur and Roger are the same guy?" Kitty asks confused.

"Aram, can you bring up the photo of Wolff." Meera says.

Aram nods.

"Well, he's not Wolff." Ressler states.

"Who is he then?" she asks.

"Do either of these guys have anything in common?" Ressler asks.

Aram and Kitty each do some typing on their computers.

"One thing." Kitty says looking at their screens.

"What?" she asks.

"His home address." Kitty says.

* * *

She and Ressler rush in and quickly determine, no one is there.

They search the apartment.

She finds a hidden compartment in the closet.

It reveals a canvas bag.

* * *

The contents of the bag are spread out on the table.

There's photographs, newspaper articles, cards, letters, keys, a watch, and other things.

"This is what we found at the apartment." she says waving a hand over the items.

"Red was right." Kitty states.

Ressler glares at Kitty which Kitty sends right back.

"Yeah, the man posing as Denning and Gard is Nathaniel Wolff." she says.

"What is your proof?" Cooper asks.

"Wolff's fingerprints are all over the place." Ressler tells him finally looking away from Kitty.

"Two different people, both with the exact same print?" Meera says with a smirk.

"You can't change your fingerprints." Ressler states.

"He changed his face." she says.

* * *

 **Red**

He is barely paying attention to what Luli and his counterfeiter, Mary are talking about when the door opens and Lizzie steps into the garage.

"Red." Lizzie says looking at him. He looks past her to see Dembe looking anywhere but at him.

"My Queen." he says with a smirk, standing and giving her a quick kiss.

She rests her hand on his chest, feeling the king charm under his shirt, smiling softly up at him.

"Ummm…." Mary says.

He turns to address her, "Sorry. My wife in very impatient. I'll be right back." he says leading her outside.

"He's married?" he heard Mary say in shock. "I've never seen him wearing a ring."

Luli just laughs.

"I'm not going to ask." Lizzie says laughing. "You know if Dembe or Luli had picked up either my or Kitty's calls, you wouldn't have had to call me your wife."

He clucks his tongue and huffs, "We've been busy.

"Yeah, making money." she says with a laugh.

"Well, you are here. What do you need?" he says sitting down on one of the swings.

"We have found two of Wolff's aliases. He changes his face. So it's taking longer to run him down." she tells him frustrated.

"Lizzi.." he reaches out his hand and entwines his finger with hers. "Please sit."

She looks at him in confusion but does.

"I had a friend do some checking...the cancer. It's back." he tells her, needing her to know so she can prepare herself.

"My dad...oh god." she breathes out struggling and tightens her hold on his hand. "You sure?"

He nods, "The instant you want, I can get you and Kitty to him."

"Thank you...but I need to finish this." she says breathing deep.

"Dr. Maltz." he says bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing it softly.

"Who?" she asks.

"Abraham Maltz. The best surgeon for this sort of business."

* * *

 **South Beach**

"Okay..we need to get this done fast. I unfortunately have another meeting that requires travel. Don't worry, I am only a phone call away if you need the plane." he says pulling her close in front of Maltz office.

"You have a plan for this guy?" she asks running her hand up and down his arm.

"Follow my lead." he says kissing her like a hungry man.

"Later. Work now." she says pulling away.

"Mmmm." he sighs leading her into the office. "Abraham!" he exclaims joyfully.

"Raymond! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Maltz says with a grin. Maltz seems to be in the middle of a pedicure.

"I don't know how you can stand it. I tried it once, couldn't bear the tickling." he says leaning down to embrace the man.

"How are you?" Maltz asks.

"Ah...we need to talk, privately." he says motioning towards the pedicurist.

"No problem. Give us a minute?" Maltz tells the woman.

The pedicurist gets up and leaves, closing the office door behind her.

"You look great. The elasticity is amazing. Are you juicing?" Maltz asks standing.

"Mostly beets, some celery, carrots and a lot of ginger." he says.

"And who might you be gorgeous? And what are you doing with this old goat?" Maltz asks looking at Lizzie.

He turns waiting to see what she's going to say.

"For the orgasms, of course." she says not even looking at Maltz, her eyes are right at him. Playful and loving.

He groans deep and swallows hard before looking back at Maltz. "Nathaniel Wolff. You gave him a new face. I need to find him." wanting to get this going before he bends her over Abraham's desk.

"Now, Raymond. You know I can't do that."

"I know and normally I wouldn't impose but this is a personal matter with some urgency." he states.

"You know the rules."

"I understand. This conversation never leaves this office." he says shoving a hand in his pocket.

"Red..what is going on? You walk in here with someone I don't know and start asking questions about a client."

"I am Special Agent Elizabeth Scott. FBI. Mr. Reddington has been working with us to collect high value targets. I want Nathaniel Wolf. You will help me find him." she says looking at Maltz coldly.

"Wait? What? You're an informant?" Maltz stutters.

"I was talking! You will give me his name or I will have your practice torn apart faster than you can say 'nose job'." Lizzie says stepping forward, authority hard in her voice.

Maltz looks down, "Bradley Holland."

Now for the fun part of our play, he thinks. "Abraham! I refer important clients to you! People that depend on you confidentiality. Some woman claims to be FBI and hand over one of you clients. My dear, I am so sorry." he says looking at Lizzie.

"I thought you said I could trust him." she exclaims looking upset.

"Wait!" Maltz exclaims.

"What else have you told people?"

"Nothing!" Maltz exclaims, worry clear on his face.

"You know what. You and I will be having a discussion at a later date about you so called discretion. I know someone else better suited. Let's go." he says leading Lizzi out of the office.

"That was fun." she says once they leave the office building and get into the car.

"Now...what were you saying about orgasms?" he asks as she straddles him.

"That you give amazing ones." she says slowly kissing his neck and attacking his buttons. "Unless you want Dembe watching, put up the privacy pane." she mutters nipping at his throat as her hand disappears between them.

He reaches over and does just that.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"According to red's contact. Wolff is now using the name Bradley Holland." Lizzie says.

She noticed that some of the tension is now gone from Lizzie's shoulders and face. She scrunches her nose having a feeling that her sister had joined the mile high club.

"Who is his?" Ressler asks from his spot next to her. He had his hand on the back of her chair and if she wasn't careful, his fingers kept brushing against her back.

"A pilot for Innova Air." Lizzie says crossing her arms in front of her.

She felt her eyes go wide when she realized that Lizzie didn't have a bra on. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one.

Aram suddenly looked down blushing like crazy.

"How..fuck…" Ressler looks down at her. Looks like Ressler noticed.

"Lizzie.." she motions to her chest.

"Sorry..rush this morning." Lizzie says grabbing the lightweight sweater of the back of a chair and throwing it on covering herself.

"Oh thank god…" Ressler mutters shaking his head. "As I was saying. Being a pilot requires licenses and background check. How did he do it?"

"Please..anonymity is key to this group." she states.

"She's right. Wolff gave up his identity for this cause. Wall Street destroyed everything that his father was devoted too. Wolff is using the airlines to destroy Wall Street." Lizzie states.

A prompt comes up on her and Aram's computers. She nods at Aram.

"Bradley Holland just went through security at Reagan National." Arma says.

"Get the TSA on the line." Meera says going over to Aram and telling him other things she wants him to do.

"He's going to bring down another plane." Lizzie says.

She watches moments later as Ressler, Meera and Lizzie rush out.

"All right Vision. Now it's our turn." she says putting an ear bud in and sitting at her computer.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

 _"Lizzie…"_ Kitty's voice comes over the com.

"Kit...this is not the time." Ressler states hearing her as well.

 _"I just talked to..Aunt June."_ Kitty says her voice wobbly.

"Kitty..what's going on?" she asks hoping that Red's intel was wrong but having a feeling he was right and the cancer was back.

 _"Looks like our bishop..he's hiding again. Not wanting us to know. It's back..and in his liver."_ Kitty whimpers out.

"Kit...Kit. You know how Aunt June is." she says trying to keep the whimper out of her voice.

Ressler looks at her quickly and places a hand on her shoulder.

 _"I know...so I called Sebastian. He's already on his way down. It's not tests...he's in surgery. I've looked and the next available flight isn't out until tomorrow."_ She hears Aram in the background trying to comfort Kitty.

"Oh god. Have you talked to his oncologist?"

 _"Damn bitch wouldn't tell me anything."_

Ressler's phone goes off and he answers.

"Okay...I'll come back after this, and we'll go home and back." she says knowing that she is going to call Red the instant she can to take him up on his offer of flying them.

 _"Okay…"_ Kitty whispers out.

"You two okay?" Ressler asks looking at her.

She nods.

 _"Hopefully, Captain."_ Kitty says softly.

"We got him. Deadheading to Denver." Ressler tells her.

* * *

They arrive at Reagan National.

Ressler is in the middle of giving order to all the personal to lock down the runway when one of the nearby planes, explodes.

* * *

 **Red**

He watches as his old friend slowly stirs in bed.

"Hello Sam. It's been too long." he says when Sam notices that someone else is in the room.

"Raymond...I'm not sure if I should hit you or hug you." Sam wheezes out.

He laughs, "That seems to be a normal reaction."

Sam laughs so hard, he starts having a coughing spell. He reaches over and helps with a drink of water.

"You look like hell." he says placing his hand on his wrist, he smiles when he sees the bracelet with a small bishop chess piece.

"I feel like it. They've given me six weeks." Sam says he eyes looking at his open shirt, his necklace visible. "You're the boyfriend."

"Sebastian didn't tell you. I'm surprised." he says.

"Why?" Sam asks.

"She has this fire inside her. She's completely unpredictable and...I love you." he says honestly.

"You're sleeping with my daughter." Sam says looking at him with narrowed eyes.

He laughs and nods.

Sam leans his head back and closes his eyes. "My little pawns. One has become a Queen and the other is still trying to find her way."

He smiles. "Kitty will find what she's looking for."

"At least Lizzie has finally found her King." Sam says nodding at the charm on his necklace.

He looks

"I don't...I don't want them to see me at my worst. I don't want to hurt them more than they already are by watching me die." Sam says looking at him.

"What are you asking?" he asks sitting up.

"Help me…" Sam says softly.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

The first thing she does is head right for Cooper, ignoring everyone else. She notices that Kitty isn't in there and hopes she is back at the house packing.

"Sir? I don't know if you heard...Kitty and I need to leave.." she starts.

"I know...and I wish you could but all flights are grounded." Cooper says resting his hands on her elbows.

"What?" she says looking around the room.

"When you find General Ludd. Kick him in the balls." Kitty says coming up behind her. Her eyes red from crying.

She reaches out her hand and Kitty grabs a hold quickly.

"What happened?" She asks.

"Headquarters received a manifesto." Ressler says nodding at Aram, who presses a few keys.

A video starts to play on the overhead monitor.

 _"We are General Ludd. Our uprising against the undue influence of corporations on our government has begun. Today marks the beginning of a war. Our enemy? The oligarchs of corporate America, who have destroyed the middle class, on whose backs this country was built. Our fight is for the soul of this country. There will be protests, violent uprisings, planes will fall from the skies. The corrupt corporate giants will be brought to their knees. So, as it begins, ask yourself, are you General Ludd? _

"Nine eleven protocol has been implemented. All planes are grounded until further notice."

"Dammit.." she whispers thinking that not even Red can get them home now.

"I repeat, kick that SOB in the balls." Kitty mutters leaning against her.

"Don't worry Kitten, I will." Ressler says looking over at the two of them. "This had to have been the plan all along. Ground the planes, cripple the economy."

Aram smirks, "I have good news."

"Could use some right now." she states.

"I have an address on Holland." Aram says still smiling.

"The same as Denning and Gard." Ressler says.

"Yes, but I was able to trace a credit-card payment in his name to a storage facility."

"Let's go." Ressler says pointing at her.

She nods, gives Kitty a quick hug and kiss on the top of her head before following him out.

* * *

At the storage the find a wall with names and family information. All connected together.

Ressler finds a name that they don't know about.

* * *

The name they didn't know was a driver. Which is currently in play full of thousands of dollars.

 _"Okay, guys the target has Delaware plates. Six, Alpha, Seven, Seven, Bravo."_ Aram tells them.

 _"Lizzie! I got dad on a conference call. Everyone else, please ignore this."_ Kitty says.

 _"Hello my pawns."_ their dad's voice comes over her com.

"Daddy...why didn't you tell us?" she says trying not to sob.

 _"I had to find out from Aunt June and Sebastian."_ Kitty says.

 _"Those two old gossips."_

"Surgery, daddy?" she says hearing Kitty whimpering over the line.

 _"I'm sorry to bring you two in so close to Checkmate. I wasn't feeling so good, a couple months. So I went to the doc. The cancer is back with a vengeance. It's everywhere, babies."_

 _"Are they doing anything?"_

She swallows hard not bothering to look over at the pity she is sure in Ressler's eyes.

 _"They're doing what they can, but ... you know, it ain't good. I was trying to do my job and protect you."_

"Daddy...we're on our way home. The instant we can we will be there."

 _"You're gonna be fine, daddy."_

"Of course."

 _"Love you daddy."_ Kitty whispers.

"Dad, I love you." she says pulling out her cell phone already dialing.

 _"Love you both, my pawns, my babies."_

"You okay?" Ressler asks.

She nods pulling out her com and bringing her phone to her ear, waiting for him to pick up.

* * *

 **Red**

"Thank you." Sam says handing him the hospital phone.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks once more.

"Yes." Sam says.

He reaches under him and grabs one of the pillows when his phone starts ringing.

He looks at the display, ' **Queen'**.

"It's Lizzie." he says.

"I've waited this long, she needs you right now." Sam says.

"I'll be right back." he says as he leaves the room.

* * *

 **Sam**

He lays his head back waiting for Ray to return. When he hears the door open, he is in shcok to see his ex-son-in-law standing there, looking at him with pure hate.

"Get out." he demands now knowing that this man was only in his pawns lives because he was paid to be.

Toms just smirks at him and comes around the side of the bed.

Tom picks up the discarded pillow.

* * *

 **Red**

 _"Where are you?"_ she asks softly.

"Not as close as I would like to be."

 _"I need to get home and all the planes are grounded."_

"Not mine, my love. Let me know and I will have Edward there to collect the two of you."

 _We're closing in on Ludd. So I might just be taking you up on that."_

"I love you Lizzie..I would do anything for you." he says before the call ends.

He takes a few deep breaths and heads back towards Sam's room.

Only to find the doctor and nurses moving around the room.

Sam is dead.

Closing his eyes, he feels his heart breaking from him, Lizzie and Kitty.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He stalks the office annoyed that they lost Wolff in the crowd.

"It wasn't about the money." Lizzie says as she places a small box on Cooper's desk.

"It was about something far more valuable." Kitty stated rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

"What is this?" Cooper asks.

"A hard drive containing software upgrades for the new hundred dollar bill." he growls.

"We think we got to him before he could access the safe." Liz states as she wraps an arm around her sister.

He would hate to be in there shoes right now. Sick dad and almost no way to get to him quickly.

"Any indication of where he might be?" Cooper asks.

We have an APB out on him." Meera says.

"All major roads, trains, buses and ports are secured. And we know flying isn't an option."

"That might not be true." Liz says pulling out her phone.

* * *

 **Red**

"Lizzie." he says answering her call.

 _"I have you on speaker, Red."_ she tells him

Alright we are playing agent and asset right now.

 _"You said you can still fly."_

"Did you want to take me up on my offer to get you and Kitty Kat home to your dad?" he asks taking a sip of his scotch.

 _"Maybe. How are you able to fly when everything is grounded?"_

"When you know what corners to cut, anything is possible."

 _"Wolff wanted to ground the planes so he could steal the blueprints for the new hundred dollar bill. No one is watching the sky. If you were him, without your IQ. Where would you fly out from?"_

He smirks loving that she is giving him a ego boost. He knows that she loves his mind almost as much as she loves his body.

"Where was he last?"

She huffs, _"Wall Street."_

"Let me look into. I'll get back to you with what I find." he says hanging up, hating that he can't tell her that he loves her.

"Dembe." he says without turning. "Let Edward know that we need to make an unscheduled stop."

* * *

He looks up as a young man gets out of the car and approaches him.

"Ready to go?" the man asks.

He laughs, "I'm not your pilot. He went that way for a stroll."

Wolff laughs and looks at him like he is insane.

Dembe joins them, holding his gun right at Wolff.

"You see, I use to use this airstrip when I would smuggle small shipments. Beautiful but bumpy as hell. Now, Mr. Wolff. I admire your commitment."

Wolff moves forward but Dembe presses the gun closer to the man's head.

"You really do want this country's financial system to fail. And if I'm not mistaken, you've come up with an ingenious way to make that happen."

"Who the fuck are you?" Wolff snarls.

"No need for that kind of language. Now, I have a feeling the Feds are feeling so good for recovering the real blueprint. But you and I both know that is wrong. It is a fake."

"How can you know that?"

"I know many things. You're hoping that when the mint uses that drive, billions of counterfeit currency will be circulated, bankrupting us."

"What are you gonna do, turn me in?" Wolff says with a sneer.

"No." he laughs. "I'm going to rob you."

Dembe pulls the bag off Wolff's shoulder and holds it out to him. He takes the drive out of the bag.

"Unlike you, I believe in capitalism and I really like money. I like what I can do with it." he hands the empty bag back to Wolff and walks off.

He knows that Dembe waits a few moments before removing his gun and joining behind him.

"Did you get the tail number?" he asks the instant Dembe is close.

"Of course."

"Send it to my girls."

* * *

 **Ressler**

The instant Kit and Liz receive a text from Dembe. He and Liz head right to the airfiend.

He smirks when Wolff notices all the police and agents surround him.

"Nathaniel Wolff, you are under arrest." he says placing the cuffs on the man. "Call this in to Cooper. I have him in you want to get home." he says looking at Liz.

"Thank you." Liz says and walks away, pulling out her phone.

He tunes of Wolff as he watches Liz.

She shaking her head and breaking down.

"Fuck." he whispers.

He hands Wolff off to another agent and goes over to help Liz back into the car.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She and Kitty hold each other as they are surrounded by family.

She wishes that Red could be there but she understands the protection. He doesn't want anyone to use her or Kitty against him.

Her hand clutches the Queen pendant the entire time.

When they place the flowers on the casket, Kitty slowly traces the Bishop symbol that they had requested be put on.

She looks up and nods when she sees that Dembe is waiting by their car.

* * *

 **Red**

"You get one bite." Cooper tells him as he allows him access to the ViCAP system.

Once Copper leaves, he takes out the piece of paper that Wujing gave him and enters the code.

He looks over the information in front of him.

 _Lucy Brooks AKA Katherine Hayne, Molly Paplow, Kara Lewis. Age: Thirty-Three._

* * *

He enters apartment. The sound of classical music fills the rooms.

He knows that it's not Luli. She is with Mary out in Fairfax County.

He looks in the living room. Dembe is sitting in the armchair in the counter, reading.

Kitty and Hudson are lying on the couch, asleep.

"Your room." Dembe says quietly.

He enters his room to find Lizzie in a ball on the bed. Wearing only one of his shirts.

Slowly, he undresses and lays down behind her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there." he whispers wrapping his arms around her.

"You were there." she whispers.

"You know the best way to make the memory of him last is to talk. Tell me stories." he whispers as she turns to him.

"This one time…."


	9. Chapter 9

**Anslo Garrick**

 **Red**

 **Munich, Germany**

 _ **"Zum Woh!"**_ everyone exclaims.

He drinks his beer. He knows without a doubt that Dembe is shaking his heads at him. They are celebrating new trade routes. He turns to tell Dembe to call Edward to start getting the jet ready. The past few days away from Lizzie have been hell and he wants to go home. He hated that he had to leave her during the worst time but this had been planned months ago.

Waking up without her during the week was hard enough but this morning had been hell since it was a Sunday. He should have woken up to Lizzie wrapped around him. The smell of breakfast that Dembe was making and Kitty learning Dembe's language as she helped him cook. He even missed the dog jumping onto the bed to lay at his feet.

As he turns, he notices Ressler coming towards him.

"Donald! There you are!" he goes over and embraces the man. "I said that I would pick you up. The ride must have cost you a fortune."

 _ **"Guten tag."**_ Ressler says looking at the men at the table that he leads him too.

"Who is this?" Max asks shockingly sober even with Luli feeding him shots.

"My man at the State Department. He's very helpful in things of this nature. Poor man has to be so straight every day. I felt the need to get him drunk." he says handing Ressler a drink.

Everyone raises their glasses and drinks.

"What the hell do you want?" he hisses in Ressler's ear hating the damn chip as they stalk away from the others. It was really the only thing that kept him from spending the night in Lizzie's apartment.

"There's a problem with Scott." Ressler says.

"Really?" he feels his blood suddenly run cold. Things were fine when he left. "Which one?"

"Both of them. They've been detained." Ressler states, his eyes looking a little sad.

"By who?" he asks slightly nervous that something happened since he spoke to Lizzie last night but he hadn't heard anything from the team that he has watching the two of them.

"It's above my clearance. I was told to find you and get you back. I have a jet waiting at Munich International."

"Mine's faster. Luli. Dembe." he says nodding at the two of them.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Hey." she says sitting down next to Lizzie on the bed.

"I don't know how to do this." Lizzie says motioning to the boxes of dad's stuff in the corner.

She places the cup of tea on the nightstand.

"Why don't we wait for Red?" she whispers rubbing one of Lizzie's legs under the blanket.

"Yeah...that sounds like a good idea. God, I feel like death warmed over." Lizzie says sitting up slowly.

"I know, that's why Sebastian is here to give me a ride to the Post Office. Well as close as he can. I tried calling Aram so that he could let Cooper know that you are going to be running a little late but no one wants to answer their phones this morning." she says shaking her head. "Drink your tea, hopefully it will help calm your stomach. Give your King a call and then come into work. You are not to touch any of the boxes without Red. Your reaction to Mr. Hoppy was bad enough. We'll wait and have Red here when we try again."

Last night they had tried to go through their dad's stuff and when Lizzie had found an old stuffed bunny, it had triggered a small attack of memory about the fire. She hadn't been able to stop the panic attack that followed until she called Red and he spoke to Lizzie over the phone.

"Yes, Doctor Kitty. I'll see you in a little while." Lizzie says slowly drinking the tea.

* * *

"Thanks Sebastian!" she yells as she rushes out of his truck and heads to the blacksite.

She takes the elevator down and is in the process of setting up her station when Ressler enters with Red, Luli and Dembe.

She watches as agents nearby grab Lulie and Dembe.

"Hey!" she exclaims rushing over.

"It's okay." Red says to Dembe when Dembe starts struggling against the agent to get free.

"What the hell is going on here?" she asks noticing that Red's eyes widen when he notices her and glares at Ressler.

"Good question, Donald. What is going on here?" Red growls stepping towards him.

"Putting you into protective custody." Ressler says with a smirk as another agent forces Red's hands behind his back.

"Kitty, where is your sister?" Red asks looking at her.

"She's home. She wasn't feeling well but is on her way in." she tells him and it clicks that Captain America said something had happened to Lizzie to get Red here.

"Bravo Donald. I didn't even tell that you were lying." Red says coldly.

"You must be slipping." Ressler states looking a little smug.

She moves forward a little ready to slap that look off his face.

"No, Kitty Kat." Red says glancing at her.

She nods, she looks over and meets Dembe's eyes. She nods letting him know that she will stay with Red.

They watch as the agents lead Luli and Dembe away. Ressler has Red moved further into the bullpen.

"Everyone out." Cooper says as he and Meera join them.

They wait as all the other agents leave.

"Could you explain why I am in handcuffs, Harold?" Red says with an air of disdain.

"We've been given intel that you are being targeted for assassination." Cooper tells the two of them.

"Why weren't Lizzie or I made aware of this? We could have gotten him to come in without the fanfare." She says glaring at Ressler.

"You don't the right clearance." Ressler states.

"Calm." Red whispers to her in Dembe's language.

She nods taking a deep breath. Luckily over the last month and a half, she and Liz had learned enough to understand but still had a hard time speaking it.

"My contacts intercepted communication between a Egyptian sleeper cell and an informant called Wells." Meera says.

"Hilton Wells?" Red says looking at Meera in confusion.

"You know him?" Meera asks.

"Yes. Enough to know that he would never speak to Egyptians. Not since he aligned himself with Mubarak during Arab Spring." Red says looking worried.

"There's a price on your head." Cooper states.

"The price on my head rises given the day and hour. Hell, a cool breeze and it will go up a million." Red says looking at her.

She moves closer and hates that she left her phone back at the house. Lizzie is going to be so pissed about this when she gets here.

"What about Anslo Garrick?" Ressler asks.

She watches as Red's face pales slightly. "If this intel was found, it was so that you would find it. Which means that Garrick is going to attack this facility." Red says looking right at her.

She bites her lip, a little scared when she notices worry in his eyes.

"You think he wanted us to bring you here?" Ressler scoffs.

"I have a feeling we have a songbird among us. Someone helped him get me here." Red growls.

"To a blacksite. You really think that. Why?" Meera asks.

"How else would Garrick get him in one spot for longer than an hour and no way out." she says fear trembling her voice.

"She's right. Garrick knows that I can leave at a moments notice and can be anywhere in the world. He needed me contained. And you've given it to him. He will attack this facility." Red tells them.

"There's no way he even knows that this place exists." Ressler states.

Red scoffs, "He extracts people from places that don't exist. It's everything to him. He liberated Mahmoud Al Azok from a blacksite in the Bering Sea."

"No, that was Shining Path." Meera states.

"Wrongo. That was Garrick paid with money to make it appear that is was Shining Path. He usually works exclusively with a group of highly skilled mercs. Known as the Wild Bunch. Garrick is a blunt force object and apparently immune to bullets. I can attest to that since I shot him point blank in the head years ago."

"Cooper. We need to trust what he's saying. If Red says that the building is going to be breached, it's going to be breached." she says standing right next to Red, looking at Cooper. If things go to hell in a handbasket, the first thing is to get those handcuffs off.

She looks up as the lights start to flicker and go out.

"They're in." Red says as the emergency lighting comes on.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"What the hell?" she exclaims when the elevator jerks to a stop. She places a hand on the intercom, trying to get a hold of someone.

She pulls out her phone.

There's no service.

"Shit." she mutters suddenly worried.

* * *

 **Red**

I hate being right, he thinks.

"Initiate full facility lock-down." Cooper yells.

"Telecom is dead. I don't have a signal." a tech exclaims from one of the desks..

"Get these cuffs off me." he demands as Ressler grabs him by the arm.

"No. You're going to the cage until this threat is neutralized." Ressler says.

"What? No! Harold get your people out of here. Do not make a stand." he yells as Ressler leads him out of the room, Kitty right behind them.

If he is going into that damn cage. He'll make Ressler lock Kitty in with him. That way he knows she is safe. Hopefully, Lizzie hasn't left the house yet and will be able to get a hold of a extraction team before this turns into a bloodbath.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She repeatedly tries the intercom.

"Come on. Come on. Someone answer." she mutters.

She hears muffled gunshots.

"Kitty." she whispers and pulls off her jacket.

She tries jumping to one of the ceiling tiles put just barely misses it.

She takes off her shoes and uses it to knock the ceiling tiles free.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She follows after Red and Captain America.

"I don't think you realize exactly what has entered this building." Red tries to tell Ressler.

"Quiet." Ressler growls, dragging him down the hall towards the cage.

"Donald. He wants me and he will kill everyone in his way." Red states.

They hear muffled gunshots ahead.

"Shit. Wait." Ressler shoves him against the wall.

Since she's close enough, she slips her hands into Ressler's pocket and takes out the key to the cuffs, both men so engrossed in listening to the gunshots that neither notice what she has done.

"Maybe you should just let them have me, Donald. They'll torture me for weeks on end and left to rot until the decide to put a bullet in my skull. Wouldn't that make you happy?" Red tells him.

"You are an asset. An informant. You are my responsibility. I will fight for your life no matter how much I would like to see it end." Ressler growls at him.

They hear more gunshots.

Suddenly, two masked men converge on them. Red turn and covers her while Ressler shoots at them. Unfortunately, one gets his gun off and get Ressler in the leg.

"Stay." Red says to her. Luckily she is practically hidden by him. She gives him the key and he unlocks his handcuffs.

He grabs Ressler's gun and fires. Killing the other men that are trying to converge on them instantly.

Only when he nods at her, does she move. Going right to Ressler as Red grabs the guns and supplies from their would be killers.

"Fuck!" Ressler growls out. "Don't leave me unarmed!"

"I don't plan to." Red says as he hands her some of the supplies.

He grabs a hold of Ressler and starts dragging him down the hall.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She pulls herself up onto the roof of the elevator. Extremely thankful that Red is still out of town and the only people she has to worry about are Kitty and her team.

* * *

 **Red**

He helps Ressler to the access panel of the cage as he gives Kitty a nod and a handgun.

He watches as she rushes over to the emergency box while he keeps shooting at the mercs coming for them, and he hears a shot behind him.

She has shot off the lock. Good girl, he thinks.

Ressler finishes inputting the code and the cage starts moving.

Kitty grabs all the medical supplies while he shoots at the approaching masked men as Ressler drags himself into the box.

He grabs a shotgun and shoots a couple of rounds as the door closes.

One of the masked men approaches the cage. He takes off his mask.

"Hello, Red." Garrick says with a smirk as he talks into his radio.

He stays facing Garrick. He can hear Kitty helping Ressler onto the bench.

"Red. Your jacket." she says.

He removes it and sends it back to her.

He decides to ignore Garrick and help take care of Ressler.

Kitty has turned his jacket into a pillow.

"That's a lot of blood." she whispers as he starts going through the medical supplies that they have. He starts wrapping Ressler's leg with gauze.

"Red...did you really think that there was a deep enough hole that you could hide in?" Garrick chuckles darkly. "You know, when I heard about your little immunity deal, I thought how fitting. You have the FBI at your beck and call but they can't keep you safe. Especially not from someone like me. Five years...five long years thinking and planning. Oh...I am going to enjoy listening to you scream."

 _"Ignore him."_ he tells Kitty slipping once again into Dembe's language.

"I am." she says rubbing a hand over Ressler's head trying to comfort him as he whimpers in pain.

Garrick hears that and smiles. "Interesting."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She wraps a bandage around her wounded hand from when she got out of the ducts. She hadn't bothered putting her shoes back on.

She covers her mouth when she finds the body of an agent that she didn't recognize.

She whispers a soft pray that Dembe had taught her and takes his radio.

 _Closed comms. Closed comms. Go to EMR-designation channel. Codify, 'Hatchling.' Codify, 'Hatchling.'_

She hears coming over the radio.

"Hatchling-5591-abstract." she says softly after she goes to the designated channel.

 _"Liz?"_ Cooper says.

"Yes sir."

 _"Do not attempt any form of ingress. Hostiles have advantage."_

"I'm already in, sir."

 _"Are you injured?"_

"No. Where are you? Where's Kit?"

 _"We've barricaded ourselves inside the armory. Ressler and Reddington are unaccounted for, presumed down. Liz, Kit was with them."_

She swallows the bile that rises in her throat. She covers her mouth and screams silently.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"What are you feeling?" Red asks.

"Numb. I feel numb." he mumbles, he feels like ice.

"Shock." he hears but can't see Kit.

"Blooo. How much blood have I lost?" he stutters out trying to sit up to see how bad his leg.

"Captain, lay down." Kit says placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back down.

"My leg?" he ask feeling hands on his waist.

"Thank you, Kitty." Red says as he feels his belt being removed.

He looks through cracked eyes to see Red removing his tie and Kit folding his belt.

"Open." Kit says holding his belt over his mouth.

"Do it, Donald. This is going to be very painful. I would bite down." Red tells him. He watches through blurry eyes as Red fully removes his tie and undoes some of his button. He notices a necklace with something red hanging off it.

Red places his tie around his leg. He watches as he removes an ammo clip from a gun.

Fuck..this is gonna hurt, he thinks as Red ties the ammo clip on top of the tie.

He bites down on his belt.

"Scream if you need to." Kitty says running her fingers through his hair and holding his hand.

Red tightens the makeshift tourniquet. He screams around his belt, Kit whispers softly to him that it's almost over.

Slowly he unclenches his jaw around the belt.

"Hey…" Kit whispers still running her fingers through his hair. He notices tears in her eyes.

"Alright?" Red asks as he checks his pulse.

He nods, taking deep breaths.

Red says something in a language he doesn't understand to Kit.

She nods and moves away from him, putting pressure on his wound. When did Kit start understanding other languages, he wonders confused.

He notices as Garrick comes up to the side of the cage.

"Red...this is pointless. That leg looks like minced beef." Garrick states.

He notices Red stand.

"Come on out and you can save Agent Ressler's life. Don...Don." Garrick tapes on the glass.

He notices Kitty glares over him at Garrick.

"You know we've never met but if you had done your job in Brussels. I wouldn't be here. Did you know that Red, that little murder squad was run by little Donnie here." Garrick laugh darkly. "I gave him everything. You train number, itinerary. All he had to do was supply the bullet and he messes that up. Fate is a cruel mistress isn't she. Now it's up to you to spare or end his life."

If he wasn't cold before, he is now.

"Shhh.." Kitty whispers moving the jacket underneath him to cover him.

"Anslo...I must say I am surprised. With all the plastic surgeons that you have access too, that you haven't done a thing with that scar." Red was chuckling darkly.

"It's not the scar that's bad...it's that eye." Kitty says shakily.

Showing no fear.. that's a girl... take your cues from Red, he thinks.

Garrick laughs and moves out of his view.

"You know, he got lucky. You see normally I carry Hydra-Shok hollow points. For some reason, I decided to try something new. These centerfire wad cutters. You see, the only reason Anslo is even standing here is because of me. My switching ammo. Think about that Anslo, every time you catch a reflection of that thing I've done to your face." Red snarks out.

"YOU TRASHED OUR PARTNERSHIP!" Garrick yells.

Red scoffs, "We were never partners. You destroyed whatever trust I had place in you. So I did what comes naturally...I beat you.

He hears a gunshot go off and feels Kitty jumps.

Red starts cackling, "True to form. Why think when you can shoot? This glass was developed by DARPA. That might as well be a spit straw."

Garrick laughs and says something that he doesn't hear very will but he feels Kitty freeze as Red places his fingers on his pulse.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She hears the distant sound of gunfire. She hides and takes deep breaths.

"Get to Kitty. Be calm..calm..You can do this. Remember training. Find Red. Kiss him than punch him for being home and not telling me." she mutters to herself.

She tricks one of the guys shooting up the place and holds her gun with makeshift silencer to his head.

"Lower your gun." she growls.

The man does.

"Reach across your body with you right hand and remove your tactical belt. Any movement I deem aggressive, I will kill you."

The man starts but must have thought she was bluffing, so she shoots him in the back of the head.

"Weren't you ever told, never fuck with a big sister..and never fuck with a Queen protecting her King." she says as she removes the man's gear and puts it on. The radio starts going off.

 _Tabletop to blue wolf. Send a short chalk back to the armory. We're a little light on bang here. So you bring me back every piece of explosive ordnance that they have._

"The cage. Red and Kitty. I don't fucking think so." she mutters getting to her feet.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Wake up a little." she says trying to keep Captain America awake.

She worried about his leg, unfortunately Garrick's remark about it resembling minced meat is right.

"Kitty in all your work, did you by any chance come across Donald's blood type?" Red asks as he takes something out of the stuff she grabbed.

"No." she tells him.

"Donald..what is your blood type?" Red asks slapping him lightly to wake him up more.

His eyes fluttered open, "What?"

"I'm crossing my finger here, Donald. What is your blood type?"

"B-Negative." Ressler says before closing his eyes again.

"And here you thought that we had nothing in common." Red says with a laugh.

"What are you doing?" she asks as he starts opening packages.

"Captain America needs a blood transfusion. Otherwise that door is going to have to open and none of us will survive." Red says concentrating on what he is doing.

"Give me a gun." Ressler says trying to sit up.

"Lay down." she orders pushing him back down.

Red just shakes his head at Ressler. "My boy, unlike you I plan on being around for the sequel."

"Are you seriously doing a field transfusion?" Ressler asks.

"Think about how wittier you'll be afterwards." she jokes smiling at Red.

"And smarter." Red says with a smile.

"What is the point of this? You know that I hate your guts...and I doubt you have any love for me after hearing about Brussels." Ressler argues.

"I already knew." Red tells him.

"Of course you did." she mutters wiping a hand over Ressler's forehead, once again running her fingers through his hair.

"Why save me?" Ressler asks.

"It's what you do when someone is dying in front of you. Allies today, enemies tomorrow. It's this job today….another one tomorrow. That needle in your arm becomes the one in your neck. It's just that fast." Red tells him as he starts the transfusion.

She looks over as Garrick once again come to the side of the cage.

"Red..Red..Do you remember the cartoon where the Coyote makes a mountain of TNT?" Garrick asks trying to get there attention.

"He usually blows himself up." she states glaring at Garrick.

"That's right. Is that what you are doing out there, Anslo?" Red says.

Both of them had noticed Anslo's mercs placing C4 on the cage in certain points.

"No...these little beauties are rigged to blow inward."

She notices Red pale a little. She moves over to his side, checking the transfusion.

"Okay?" she asks switching out of English.

Red nods.

"Come on! Play with me!" Garrick exclaims. Clearly not liking that they are ignoring him.

"I'll play." she says standing and moving so she was almost towering over Garrick in her position. "How are you at chess?"

"This one of yours, Red? A new playmate? A toy?" Garrick asks smirking up at her.

"What a small little man you are? Since I'm in here, I must be a toy...you have no idea how wrong you are." she lickes her lips.

"I don't play with others toys." Garrick says.

"You've messed up. There are pieces still in play and the Queen..is going to rip you a new asshole when she gets ahold of you." she snarks.

"Kitty!" Red exclaims. "Don't feed the animal."

She gives Garrick one more glare and takes her spot back next to Ressler.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Gun drawn, she smirks at the merc in front of her. He stupidly killed his buddy for her.

 _Tabletop to Chalk One, where's my bang? Let's go. I've got a box to blow up. Comes over both of their radios._

"You are going to tell him that you are on your way back. Anything else, you join him." she motions to the man that he had shot.

 _Tabletop to Chalk One, where's my bang?_ Comes again over the radio.

"Chalk One to Tabletop, on our way back now." the merc says arching an eyebrow.

"Good boy." she says before knocking him out with the butt of her gun.

"Liz.." a voice calls out behind her.

She whirls around, gun raised.

"It's just me." Aram says raising his hands.

"Aram." she stands up and wraps an arm around him, thankful that he is okay.

"Where?" he asks breaking slightly and returning her hug.

"I snuck in. You okay?" she asks him checking him over to make sure he is visibly okay.

"Yeah..I was trying to restore the telecom so we can get some help." he tells her.

"Everyone else?" she asks looking around the empty armory.

"Captured."

"Kitty? Red? Ressler?"

He leads her back to the generator room.

"Kitty." she whisper looking at the screen of Red, Kitty and Ressler stuck in the cage.

"Ressler's in bad shape." Aram tells her.

"Who did this? And what did he want?" she asks having a feeling of the answer.

"Someone named Garrick. He disabled everything….He's here for Red."

She places her hand on her chest, her Queen pendant resting over her pounding heart. "Are you going to be able to restore the telecom?"

"I don't know. I can't hack around what they've done. There must be jammers inside the building." Aram states.

"Where? How?" she asks looking at him.

"Something powerful but portable. On the subfloor garage. It's where all the uplink and communication relays are housed.

"Would you be able to get the telecom working if the jammers are disabled?" she asks putting a new clip in her gun.

"Yeah…" Aram says slowly looking at her with fear in his eyes.

"Have a weapon?" she asks.

Aram nods.

"Alright. Let's go." she says getting ready to leave the room.

"Huh?" Aram stutters confused.

"We are going to get rid of those jammers."

"Us?"

"You see anyone else?" she says motioning to the empty room.

"I umm I thought that I would just wait here for the signal." he stutters out.

"Aram...Kitty is down there, if you're roles were reversed. What do you think she would be doing?"

"Kicking ass and taking names." he laughs taking out his gun. "I've only shot paper."

"Pretend they're paper or my ex. It's what's been helping me." she says with a smile.

He laughs, nods and follows her out.

* * *

 **Red**

"Donald! Donald! Feeling wittier yet?" he asks trying to be glib.

He watches as Kitty rolls her eyes at him.

"I know you don't think much of me…" Ressler starts.

"Don't assume to know how I think."

"You have to pass muster to get a case file like yours." Ressler slurs out.

Seeing Kitty, once again trying to calm Ressler, he feels the need to find out about something.

"Without taking offense, may I ask you something?" He asks.

Kitty looks at him in confusion.

"Ask. You already know that whatever it is will offend me." Ressler states.

"Audrey Bidwell? What happened to her?" he asks watching Kitty look at him lost.

"She left me." Ressler sighs out.

"You were engaged." he says.

Kitty's eyes go wide and for a moment he wonders if he was wrong about what she feels for dear Donald.

"Yea...but my engagement to you ended the relationship. Five years...look where that's gotten me. We're not going to make it out of here, are we?" Ressler says distressed.

"Captain...shh. Stop." Kitty says softly, tears, worry and fear in her eyes.

"We will make it out." he says placing a hand on his heart and his King piece before reaching down and rubbing his hand on Kitty wrist, where her bracelet rests on Ressler's shoulder.

"How do you know?" Kitty and Ressler ask. Each looking at him.

"Have you ever sailed across an ocean?"

Each shake their head 'no'.

"On a boat surrounded by sea with no land in sight without even the possibility of sighting land for days to come. I want that one more time. I want to sit in a chair with my Queen in my lap, working on a Sunday paper crossword while the sound of jazz and the scent of breakfast fills the room. I want to sink into the warmth of the woman I love….one more time. I want to smoke Cubans and feel the sun on my face for as long as I can. I want to sit in a garden and play a game of chess with my friend, letting him win. Most of all, I want to sleep. I want to sleep like I slept when I was a boy." as he speaks he noticed tears sliding down both of their faces.

Kitty rests her hand on the side of Ressler's face and wipes a tear away before doing the same to herself.

"One more time. That's what I want. And it's because of those want's that I won't allow that punk out the to get the best of me or the last of me."

"Red?" Kitty says motioning behind him.

Garrick has Cooper standing there.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Aram points out one of the jammers which is preventing them from communications.

"Lizzie." he says.

She smashes it with the butt of her gun.

It falls to the floor, shattering.

"Alright, onto the next one."

* * *

 **Red**

He stands slowly watching as Anslo aims his gun at Cooper.

"Once again. Using a pistol in place of a brain.. Are you actually going to put a bullet in the head of the man that can get you mine?" he asks full of snark.

"Sounds like someone is trying to save your life." Garrick tells Cooper.

He scoffs, "Hardly. However, before you shoot him be certain that I'm not fucking with you." he says watching Anslo's gun falter a little.

"It would be a shame if in killing him, you denied yourself of the prize that you came here for." he says.

Anslo keeps his gun trained on Cooper.

"Anslo! How long do you think you can hold out here before half of Quantico's graduating class rappels down on top of you?" he yells trying to outsmart Anslo.

Ressler starts groaning and shuddering.

"Red!" Kitty exclaims.

He rushes over, checking his pulse.

"Red. I think you are the one that mistaken. Are you really going to let Agent Ressler expire in there? Going to allow me to put Assistant Director Cooper's brains all over the wall?"

He tunes him out as he feels Ressler's pulses.

"What's wrong?" Kitty asks rubbing her hands along Ressler's shoulder, trying to calm him.

"His heart is pumping harder and faster trying to make up for the blood loss." he grabs a pair of scissors and cuts off the padding to check the wound. "Shit."

"What?" Ressler hisses out.

"The shotgun blast that broke your leg, it partially ruptured your femoral artery."

"Fuck." Kitty whispers.

"What?" Ressler hisses again in clear pain.

"I need to close the hole." he says grabbing what he is going to need.

"How?" Kitty asks.

"By cauterizing it. I'm gonna have to cut open his leg to get at the artery and then sprinkle some combustible compound on it and ignite it." he says showing the two of them.

Ressler starts whimpering, shaking his head no.

"Donald, if you don't tell them how to open that door, I have to do this ... or you will die." he says forcing Ressler to look at him.

Ressler closes his eyes.

"Come on, Captain America." Kitty says softly.

Ressler nods.

"Grab ahold of the bench back there and don't let go. I'm gonna cut as fast as I can, but I can't have you trying to stop me once I start, okay? Kitty, my dear, hold him." he tells both of them.

Ressler raises his arms and grips underneath the seat. Kitty presses down on his chest.

"This is gonna hurt." he says pouring alcohol on Ressler's leg.

Ressler starts screaming, "BELT!"

Kitty places the folded belt in his mouth so he has something to bite down on.

"Hold him still. This will be over in a second." he says and begins cutting.

Ressler's muffled screams fill the cage.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She smashes another jammer.

"How many of these are there?" she asks.

"Several. With two gone we should be able to start the uplink for reset. It just wouldn't be very strong." Aram tells her.

"Cell?"

"Maybe one bar." he says trying to look hopeful.

"We need to split up. Cover more ground."

"Faster. Scarier."

She smiles softly at him.

Aram nods. "Let's get the calvary here."

She smiles as he goes in the opposite direction.

* * *

 **Red**

Ressler screams once more as he cuts. Slowly, Ressler goes limp.

"He's out." Kitty says places her forehead on top of Ressler's.

"What is going on here?" he asks.

She laughs softly, "Is that why you asked about his ex?"

He shrugs.

"I've put him in the same box as Aram and I'm trying to keep him there. An annoying big brother that I love make wish I was never born."

He smirks as he keeps working on Ressler's leg. He sprinkles a combustible compound on the artery and then strikes and match and lights it. The compound ignites and flashes out.

"Red!" Kitty screams seeing Anslo shove Luli against the glass.

Kitty moves forward, clutching at him.

"Ten seconds, Red." Anslo says pointing his gun at Luli.

"Oh god." he whispers.

"Ten ... nine…"

"Harold! Open the box now!" he yells at Cooper trying to turn Kitty seeing what is about to happen.

"Cooper!" Kitty screams, pleading.

"Eight…."

"Give him the code!" he and Kitty scream.

"No." Cooper says clearly fazed by what is happening.

"Six…"

"Cooper is the one that can get you in here. Not my people." he tells him.

"KITTEN! Look away!" Luli cries out, tears in her eyes.

"Five…."

"Now KITTEN!" Dembe yells from behind Anslo.

"Put that gun to Cooper's head!" he yells finally getting Kitty to turn away.

"Four ... three…"

"For once in your life…" he struggles out as Kitty clutches at him.

"Two…"

"... stop and think about.."

"One." Anslo pulls the trigger and blood splatter the front of the cage as Luli falls to the floor.

He pulls Kitty close as she sobs.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Gotcha." she says finding another jammer.

"Hello love." the merc she had punched out appears and hits her upside the head.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She whimpers and Red helps her to sit on the floor.

Anslo grabs Dembe and marches him to the cage.

"I don't have to explain how this works now, do I?" Anslo says kicking Dembe's leg, forcing him to his knees right next to the cage. "Down. You open the box, or Dembe dies."

"Nononono." she whimpers out.

"Harold, tell him!" Red screams

She looks up, her eyes full of tears to see Cooper clench his jaw.

"Cooper's not the only one that knows the code." she says crawling over to Ressler.

"Ressler!" Red yells noticing her trying to wake him up.

"Ress!" Red and she yell both shaking him

"Raymond." Dembe says.

Red straightens looking over at Dembe.

"Come on, Captain..wake up." she whimpers out shaking him as tears fall down her face.

"Ours is a friendship forged once in this life ... and again in the next. Goodbye, my brother." Dembe says looking right at Red.

 _"I will find you in my next life."_ Dembe says switching language looking at her.

"Harold, open this box. I'll give you anything." Red pleads.

Dembe slowly starts praying and tries to stand.

 _Allah, the One and Only;_

"On your knees." Anslo says forcing him to stay down.

 _Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;_

Red joins him as Dembe tries to stand again. She starts whispering as well still trying to get Ressler to wake up.

 _He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;_

"Stay on your knees. Stay on your knees." Anslo says struggling to keep Dembe down.

 _And there is none comparable unto Him._

Dembe stops and stares up at Red. She buries her head in Ressler's shoulder and covers her ears, sobbing.

A gunshot rings out.

* * *

 **Aram**

He finds another jammer and smashes it.

He pulls his tablet and watches as the link goes through.

"Yes." he exclaims and starts dialing.

 _North Arlington Furniture Warehouse. Can I help you?_

"Um..Hatchling 5591." he says moving to where he hopes that Liz is to tell her the good news and get the rest of the code.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She struggles with the merc trying to get away. She should have killed him instead of just knocking him out.

"I got the signal but I need the rest…" Aram says stopping in front of them.

She smiles at him as he holds up the phone as the merc puts his gun to her head.

* * *

 **Kitty**

 _ **She buries her head in Ressler's shoulder and covers her ears, sobbing.**_

 _ **A gunshot rings out.**_

She slowly raises her head afraid to see Dembe lying next to Luli.

Instead Dembe is still kneeling there while everyone looks confused.

"GO!" Anslo demands as a few mercs run off.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She smiles at Aram as she stands over the dead merc.

"I did it. I killed him." Aram states staring at the gun in his hand.

"I know but we need to move. Aram, that had to clue them in. We need to move now!" she exclaims.

He nods and they start to run only to be blocked by a group of mercs.

* * *

 **Red**

He feels his heart stop as Anslo's men lead Lizzie and the boy, Aram past the others.

"Hmm...who is this?" Anslo says daring to touch Lizzie's face.

"Piss off." Lizzie hisses at Anslo keeping her eyes on him.

Kitty comes to stand next to him.

Anslo smirks and has a merc remove Dembe and forces Lizzie to kneel in front of the cage. Gun trained on her head.

"No." Kitty whispers.

He sees Lizzie notice Luli and she smiles sadly at him.

 _"I love you."_ she says switching languages.

 _"My Queen."_ he responds in the same. Growling he turns and goes right to Ressler. Slapping him across the face.

Still he stays out cold.

"RESSLER!" he yells. He grabs a hold of Ressler's leg and applies pressure.

Ressler screams, slightly awake.

"Look at me! I need you to focus Donald! I need the code."

"Code? What code?" Ressler slurs out.

"To open the box!" Kitty cries out. She is now kneeling in front of the door pressing her hands on the glass staring at her sister.

"Tell me the code!" he demands.

"Do not give up the code, Agent! That is a order!" Cooper yells.

"If it was your family would you be saying the same thing!" Kitty screams sobbing.

Lizzie's phone chooses that moment to start ringing.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Anslo exclaims putting up his gun.

"They have an open signal." one of the mercs tells Anslo.

"Get out before I rip you a new asshole." Lizzie says glaring at Anslo as he takes out her phone.

Anslo declines the call throwing the phone away from them.

Kitty surprises him by pushing him out of the way, she grabs Ressler's gun, loads it and presses it against Ressler's temple.

"You gonna kill me? You just helped save my life." Ressler hisses out.

"Things have changed, Captain. If you can't save her, you have no reason to be here. Look at me. Look at me! My sister will die." she yells making him look at her.

He takes the gun from her, lifting Donald's head so he can see Lizzie with a gun pointed at her.

"Now is the time, Donald, I will pull the trigger."

Ressler swallows hard. Looking at Kitty, "Romeo. The code is Romeo."

He places the gun under the jacket covering Ressler and turns to the front of the box.

"R.O.M.E.O. Romeo." he says glaring at Anslo.

Anslo motions to one of his men, who frees Cooper and brings Cooper over to the pad.

He smiles softly at Lizzie.

Anslo forces Lizzie to stand and moves her back as the cage open.

Several of Anslo's men enter the cage and lead him.

"Anslo, when did you get here?" he says trying not to glare at the man.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Let them go." Red says staring at Anslo. She knows he is trying to get everyone else out of this without more bodies.

She tries not to look over at Luli's body. Never again will the woman shamelessly flirt with her and Kitty. Never again will the three of them sit in Red's living room doing each others nails. Never will she try to get Kitty to cheat at chess with Dembe. Never again will she be able to just...talk with her again.

She meets Kitty's eyes and knows the same thoughts are going through her sister's head. Hopefully the cavalry will get here in time to save them..before the SOB in front of her takes her King from her.

"Pleading for Feds? I never thought I would see the day." Garrick snarks out.

"It's time to get the hell out of here. There's been enough bloodshed here today." Red says.

She watches as Garrick's merc bind Red. Pissed that she is unable to do anything other than stand there.

"I know what time it is." Garrick says turning away from Red, his eyes fall on her. "Bring her."

"You don't need her Anslo." Red says his voice like steel.

"I don't care what you think."

The mercs lead them out.

"Fuck." she whispers.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Get out here!" one of the two mercs left yells at her. Luckily he doesn't come into the cage. Slowly she walks out and moves to join the others. She looks down at Ressler and he gives her a slight nod.

Both mercs completely ignore Ressler, thinking that he is passed out.

"On your knees." the merc yells as they point their guns at them. The merc nods at the other, leaving him.

Swallowing the bile in her mouth, she gets on her knees. Making sure to be next to Dembe.

Cooper stays standing.

"Cowards." Cooper says facing the merc that is still there.

"Knees."

Cooper doesn't move. She catches Ressler's eye and nods.

Several shots are fired and the lone guard goes down.

She quickly cuts Dembe's ties and watches as he collects weapons before running off.

"Secure the area!" Cooper yells.

She rushes back inside the cage, ignoring everyone but Ressler.

Dembe is going after Red and Lizzie.

Right now, she has to make sure her sister still has a partner when she gets back.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Garrick's men attach belts to her and Red.

"I didn't think you were ever going to come out of that box. And then this one shows up. You still got the touch, old man? Is this the queen the other one was talking about?" Garrick says curling a strand of her hair around his finger.

An explosion behind them reveals a hole. Garrick's men start going down.

"Your turn dearie." Garrick says shoving her towards the hole.

* * *

They exit a tunnel to a waiting ambulance. Garrick's men all but throw her and Red into it.

They take off the instant Garrick gets in

"Ninety seconds! I need that chip!" Garrick yells at the EMT that is working on Red.

Only one merc is with them.

Red meets her eyes and she knows that he wants her to escape. He glances at the defib machine. Swallowing hard and unnoticed, she turns it on.

 _"Mr. Kaplan. Emissary Hotel in Chicago."_ he tells her slipping out of English.

She nods and mouths, "I love you."

He nods and smiles sadly.

The defib machine beeps.

She grabs the paddles and zaps the merc, grabbing his gun but the EMT attacks her.

They struggle and the gun goes off, killing the driver.

They continue to struggle as Garrick kicks the driver out the door while sliding over to the driver's seat.

"Hurry the hell up!" Garrick yells as she is half pushed, half jumps out of the ambulance.

An oncoming car screeches to a stop just as she gets to her feet.

Still bound she jumps into the car, "FBI! Follow that ambulance! Drive!" she demands.

Luckily the guy does.

"I need you phone." she says grabbing it and dialing.

 _"Hello?"_ Kitty says softly.

"Kitty! I need you and Aram."

 _"Lizzie! Aram! What do you need? Are you with Red?!"_

"No. I'm in pursuit but..but I lost visual. I'm heading west on Constitution. I need his location! They going to remove his chip!"

 _"Okay...I got him."_ Aram says.

"Where?"

 _"Six blocks from you. Turn right at the intersection."_ Kitty tells her.

"Turn right!' she yells at the driver.

 _"He just turned south on 7th."_ Aram says.

 _"He's stopped, Lizzie. They're not moving."_ Kitty says worried.

The car comes to a halt. She gets out looking around the deserted street.

"Fuck." she says seeing a blue glove in the middle of the street.

Tears prick her eyes, as she picks up his chip.

 _"Liz! Do you have him?"_ Cooper asks over the phone.

"No." she says trying not to breakdown. "He's gone." she says breathing deep.

* * *

 **Red**

Anslo removes his hood.

He looks around the abandoned room, chains hanging from the roof.

"This shall be fun." Anslo says smirking at him.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She stands with Aram as the old biddy that showed up yells at Cooper and Lizzie.

"This task force is decommissioned!" the old biddy yells loud enough for all of them to hear.

Lizzie walks away letting Cooper deal with the woman.

Aram sighs and starts packing up his equipment.

"Vision. No. We need to find Red." she says softly kneeling down next to him.

Lizzie joins them.

"She's right. Red alive. I would know if he wasn't" Lizzie says placing her hand over her heart.

"Guys this is out of my hands." Aram says.

"Please?" she pleads placing her hands over his.

"Assuming..I could, what do you need?" he looks at each of them.

"Closed-circuit feeds from the block around the building from when Red came in, going back an hour."

"I'm suppose to hand off security feeds to the new team. I can make us a copy. What are you going to be doing?" he asks.

"I have an idea but..we need to go home." she says hoping that her program will work.

Aram nods.

"Do you know how Ressler is doing?" Aram asks.

"He's in surgery. Hopefully they can save his leg. Aram, I don't need to tell you. This needs to stay with just us. We don't know who we can trust."

Aram nods.

Lizzie stands and walks away, pulling out a phone.

"Thank you." she says softly.

"All of you are closer than you like to appear. Liz and Red..their relationship?" he starts to ask.

"Don't ask, don't tell. Got it?" she says.

"Yeah." he says squeezing her hand before walking away.

"Lizzie, we need to go." she says coming to stand next to her.

"Let's go." Lizzie says leading her out.

* * *

 **Red**

Anslo sits while two of his mercs chain him up.

"The girls? Who are they?" Anslo aks.

"Let's start with the mouth. She knows you. Luli knew her well enough to demand she look away. Dembe seems to care a great deal for her. You think I didn't recognize his language. Kitten, they called her. Hmmm. Nothing? What about the agent? You came out of the box for her. Kitten's family, perhaps or..is she more? Is she the Queen to your King? I mean, you did trade your life for hers. The great Red Reddington placing someone above himself."

"Do you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice? I know I am." he says noting giving him anything.

Anslo stands and with a nod punches him as one of the mercs raises him off his feet.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She watches as Kitty makes her way right to the dining room, she sits on the couch letting tears fall down her cheek.

"We will find him." Kitty says bring the laptop over and sits down next to her.

"Kitty, I don't think I'll be able to handle it if I lose him.

Her phone buzzes. She turns it over.

 **'Call me~ Mr. Kaplan'**

"That who Red told you to call." Kitty asks.

"Yeah. Have you heard from Dembe?" she asks standing up as Kitty starts typing away on her laptop.

"Not yet. Don't worry, Dembe will find him unless we get to him first."

"Aram." she says when her phone starts ringing before she can dial Mr. Kaplan's number.

"What do you have?" she asks putting it on speaker.

 _"I sent you files but there are worthless."_

"What do you mean?" Kitty asks while she heads to the computer and brings up her email to see what Aram sent her.

 _"Red wasn't followed at all."_

"How the hell did Garrick know he was at the post office?" she asks coming back over to her phone and Kitty.

 _"My thoughts exactly. So I started thinking, what if somebody inside tipped him off?"_

"You found the songbird?" "You found the mole?" she and Kitty say at the same time.

 _"Okay, stereo. No but I might have a lead. We routinely collect all cellular transmission from inside and directly around this facility. So much data, I had to play around with various mathematical structures knots, multivariate polynomials…."_

"Vision, going off on tangent. Focus?" Kitty says shaking her head.

 _"Right sorry. I found a pattern. A series of calls made from a burner."_

"Same burner?" she asks biting her lip.

 _"No, but each call was made seconds after Red arrived in the post office."_

"Waiting for the good news." she says sighing.

 _"All the calls were to the same number. It's a private residence a few miles from here. The address is 8123 12th street."_

"What?!" she and Kitty exclaim looking out the living room window.

"Aram, we'll call you back." she says hanging up.

* * *

 **Red**

"All the fun we are going to have." Anslo says.

He can feel blood dripping into his eye and has a feeling at least one of his ribs are cracked.

He's been ignoring everything that has been coming out of Anslo's mouth.

"Doctor! So good of you to join us!" Anslo motions at someone behind him.

He feels a prick in his neck.

Anslo chuckles, "A present. Brand new drug. It enhances the impulses to your brain. When my doctor is done, a breeze is going to make you beg me to kill you."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

After making Kitty stay in the house to work on her tracking program that she created.

She smashes the back window to the apartment that has been getting calls. Keeping her gun drawn, she slowly moves through the house. The first floor is empty. Cautiously she heads to the second floor. She enters one of the rooms and finds monitors displaying her home. She sees Kitty sitting at the coffee table.

Feeling something, she quickly turns and knocks the gun out of the hand of the man that had been sneaking up on her.

They struggle and the man goes for her gun.

She grabs his and shoots him just as he is about to shoot her.

Breathing hard, she pulls out her phone. Looking at the monitors, she dials.

"Mr. Kaplan?" she says when the line is picked up.

* * *

Kitty sits on the bottom step, laptop in hand as she leans against the wall.

A knock on the door gets her attention.

"What color is the sky?" is called out.

"Red." she says giving the counter sign.

She opens the door and an older woman enters.

"Mr. Kaplan?" she asks

"Hello, dear. Wish I was meeting you under better circumstances." Mr. Kaplan says. "Does anyone else know that you are here?" the woman asks as she heads upstairs.

She and Kitty follow.

"No one." she says watching as the woman goes into the room with the monitors.

"Call anyone?"

"No."

"She came over and grabbed me." Kitty says glaring at the monitor that shows their bedrooms and the bathroom.

She shudders thinking that these men saw each of them at private moments including her calls with Red while he's been away or just needing to hear him.

"Who is he?" Kaplan asks looking at the man as she pulls on a pair of latex gloves.

"No idea. It seems every time Red comes to the Post Office, a call was made to this address. Him or whoever else has been watching." she says wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"Feeling unclean?" Kaplan asks looking at each of them in understanding.

"Suddenly thankful, Red never stayed the night." she says swallowing hard.

"I'll handle the body."

She and Kitty look at the woman in confusion.

"I'm going to need the bullets. We can't afford the ballistics to be trace to you."

"I used his gun on him." she states handing over the gun.

"Good, but just to be safe." Kaplan says.

"Now, I have two directives, keep the two of you safe and find my employer. My team will be here soon." Kaplan fishes out a set of key. "Find the car."

* * *

She heads outside, Kitty right behind her and clicks the car's lock system.

A car a few spots down honks.

"That one." Kitty says as the rush to it.

Kitty takes photos of the car and it's plate while she searches inside.

She takes a photo of the GPS.

Kitty gets into the backseat when Kaplan joins them. Getting behind the driver's seat.

"I ran his face against the database." Kaplan states.

"Which one?" she asks.

"No matches."

"The car?" Kitty asks.

"Registered to Borderland Cargo, a shell company with a dummy address."

"What about the GPS? If he's working with Garrick maybe he's been been to whereever they are holding Red." she asks hopeful.

"Lizzie..I messed up." Kitty says softly.

"What do you mean?" Kaplan asks as they turn to look at Kitty.

"I tried creating a tracking program in Red's necklace so that no matter what you would be able to find him but when I set it up, I was using data collected from his chip. Without the chip, the program doesn't work." Kitty says.

"Hey..you tried. Let's check that GPS and find my King." she says looking at Kaplan.

Kaplan nods.

"There are six addresses. These five are centrally located, a motel, church, two gas stations and a restaurant. However, this is something."

"What's special about that one?" Kitty asks leaning forward.

"It's an industrial neighborhood, remote. The kind of place I'd find for if I didn't want him to be found. Time for a road trip." Kaplan says starting the car and the drive off.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"That's a lot of lookouts." she mutters counting another armed guard walk by.

"We need firepower." Lizzie mutters biting her thumb.

Dembe opens the back door of the car and slides in next to her.

"Lizzie..those..that…" she stutters seeing men that she knows from the gym arrive.

"Baz." Lizzie says looking at Kaplan.

"We stay here. My orders are to keep you safe." Kaplan says patting Lizzie's knee.

They watch as Baz and the others quickly and quietly enter the building.

"I thought it was the Queen's job to protect the King." Lizzie says without any anger, just sadness.

"It is. You keep him sane. We are the rooks, pawns, knights and bishops that keep you safe." Kaplan says.

"How are you?" she asks Dembe softly.

He doesn't answer just pulls her against him and places his hand on Lizzie's shoulder as each of them cry softly.

"Should we call Cooper?" she asks as Dembe brushes the tears out of her eyes.

"Not until I give the okay." Kaplan says.

"Alright." Lizzie says raising her hand to cover Dembe's on her shoulder.

* * *

 **Red**

He tries not to think of the pain.

He thinks of Lizzie's hands on his skin, her laughing in his ear.

The smell of scotch and Cubans.

Kitty laying on the couch near them, throwing popcorn at Dembe while he tries to catch it in his mouth.

The sound of a movie in the background.

 _"I don't know how but he's fighting it."_

 _"Give him more."_

The weight of a chess piece in his hand, Kitty eyes as she says 'Checkmate'.

Dembe laughing as they race in the park.

Lizzie brushing her lips over his.

 _"We're ready."_

 _"About bloody time."_

 _"We've got company."_

Lizzie….my Queen...

* * *

 **Kitty**

She follows after the others as they enter the warehouse.

"He's not here." Baz says as they pass him.

Kaplan nods and looks at her and Lizzie. "Call it in. We'll be gone by the time they get here."

Lizzie nods, walking away.

She hands her laptop to Kaplan. "Maybe you can figure out a way to make the program work."

"You are a resourceful girl." Kaplan says.

"They're on their way." Lizzie says rejoining them.

Dembe moves forward and wraps his arms around Lizzie.

"I will call." Dembe says as he moves away from Lizzie and wraps his arms around her.

"When you find him...let him know I love him." Lizzie says to Kaplan.

"Oh, you are perfect queen for him, dear." Kaplan says before walking out.

Dembe rests his forehead on hers, shocking her by framing her face and kissing her softly on the lips before turning and leaving himself.

"We will be talking about that...when things calm down." Lizzie tells her.

She just nods and brings her hand to her mouth.

* * *

 **Red**

He heard steps coming towards him.

"Hello, Ray. It's been what? Twenty years?" a voice from the past, Fitch says.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She and Kitty are only ones there when Cooper and a team get to the site.

She watches as the team move around the warehouse.

"Tell me, Scott. What part of 'stand down' don't the two of you understand?" Cooper asks glaring at each of them as if they were teenagers being caught sneaking in after curfew.

"This wasn't mine. Fowler might have shut us down but did you really think that Red's people wouldn't try to find him?" she says staring right at him.

"And they allowed the two of you to join?" Cooper asks.

Kitty scoffs.

"The only reason, you are standing here is because they trust me." she says narrowing her eyes at Cooper.

Cooper runs a hand over his face, confused. "Enlighten me. What is this place?"

"Some kind of outpost. The same people who got into the post office and kidnapped Reddington were guarding this place."

"No one wants these men more than I do. But riding shotgun on an unsanctioned massacre isn't the way to get it done." Cooper seethes at them.

"Excuse me, sir? There's something you need to see." Aram says joining them and handing Cooper his computer.

* * *

 **Red**

He cracks open his eyes to see Fitch sitting in front of him.

"Let him down." Fitch says.

He's lowered and a guard comes forward to help him into a chair. He removes scissor sticking out of the guards pocket without anyone none the wiser.

"Now Red, I thought we had an arrangement." Fitch says.

"We do." he struggles out to say.

"Eh, I don't know about that. You see, my people, they're nervous. We don't know what to think. We could've killed you. But we don't. We know what you have, Ray. And we know what'll happen to it if you turn up dead. So we let you live. And in exchange, we ... we trust that our secret remains secret."

"Nothing has changed."

"Oh, no. Everything changed the minute you surrendered to the FBI. Did you think we wouldn't know?"

He doesn't say anything just looks at him.

"What and who have you told, Ray?"

"I haven't said a word."

"Than explain this."

"No. It has nothing to do with you."

"Well, I hope so. I really do. Because unlike the others I've always liked you, Ray. You're a pain in my neck, but ... I like you. Just know this, when you were kissing that pretty little agent goodbye days ago on her stoop, we could've taken you. Instead, we dragged you from the safety and security of your new friends. Why do you think we did that? To make it abundantly clear, there's nowhere you can go. There's no one you can trust to keep you from us."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She cracks her neck, staring at her phone wanting it to ring.

"You were there?" Meera asks getting her attention.

"Sorry?" she asks.

"When Red's people took the building? How many were there?" Meera asks watching her.

"Only six. Highly trained." she tells her, not admitting that she had actually trained with a few of them more than once over the past month and a half. "What's all this?" she asks motioning to the piles all over Meera's station.

"A waste of time." Meera states.

"Do you really think Garrick had someone on the inside?" she asks watching the woman closely.

"It's possible. You, Kitty and Ressler are the only ones above suspicion right now."

"Yeah...Kitty's at the hospital. It seems Ress doesn't have an emergency contact. She didn't want him to wake up alone when he finally gets out of surgery."

"I have to ask. Did Kitty have something with Luli?" Meera asks softly.

"Luli asked her out on a date but Kitty told her no. They were friends." she says honestly looking at the papers on Meera's desk. "I know this address. What does DCM mean?"

"It's a decommissioned blacksite." Meera states. "What is is?"

"I need Aram. We need satellite access to this place." she says hopeful and moves to go find him.

"Why?" Meera asks standing.

"This might be where they are holding Red."

"Is this any where near Franklin Square?" Meera asks.

She nods.

"The ambulance that was used to move Red, it was found burning in a garage a quarter mile from there."

"COOPER!" they yell running over to him and Fowler.

"I think we found Red." she says not bothering to hide her smile.

Cooper arches an eyebrow at her.

"A decommissioned black site." Meera states.

"Why would you think they are holding Red there?" he asks looking at each of them.

"It's the last place we would ever think to look for him." she says as her hand rises and starts playing with her chess piece.

Cooper turns to Fowler. "I need an answer. Are we shut down or not?"

* * *

 **Red**

He looks up as Anslo walks over to him after Fitch leaves.

"Just the two of us, old boy. Like old times."

He scoffs, "Give it up. We both know that Fitch isn't going to let you play any longer."

"That might be true. But you know what I can do? I can find that sweet Queen of yours and that sweet little Kitten. I can hurt them, make them suffer. What no quips?" Anslo says leaning in close as he bends over.

He moves quicker, grabbing Anslo by the neck. He gives one quick jerk and the blades of the scissors kill Anslo instantly.

"Never threaten my Queen." he says dropping the scissors to the ground.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

They get there too late.

Red is gone and Anslo is dead.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He awakens when feels that someone is in the room with him. He looks over to see Audrey sitting by his bed.

"Audrey? What? What are you doing here?" he asks struggling to sit up.

"I got a call. How are you feeling?" Audrey asks coming to stand by the bed.

"In pain." he laughs. "They called you?" he was confused.

"Seems I'm still your emergency contact." Audrey said.

"You are?" he was sure he had taken her off. "I.."

"It's okay." Audrey says placing her hand on top of his.

He looks down and notices the ring. "You're engaged?"

"Yeah. You're friend was a little annoyed when she saw it too." Audrey says with a laugh.

"Friend?" he asks confused.

"Look who's awake." Kit says entering the room with two coffees.

"Kit?" he says confused.

"Hey, Captain." Kit says handing Audrey one of the coffees. "Sorry no coffee for you." she comes around to the other side of the bed and kisses him on the cheek.

"Please accept my apology." she whispers in his ear.

Audrey is here because Kit called her.

He laughs softly and nods. Kit places her hand on his wrist and he feels something there. He looks down to see a black leather cord tied around his wrist with a small white knight chess piece hanging off it.

"Audrey, it was nice to meet you. I hope to see you again. Without the ring." she says with a smirk before she skips out.

"The funny thing, I actually like her." Audrey says with a grin.

"Can you stay for a little while?" he asks, smiling and suddenly hopeful.

Audrey nods and sits down on the bed.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She sits on a random bench in the park. Kaplan had let her know that all cameras were out of her house.

Kitty was with Sebastian at a meeting now that Ressler was awake and out of the woods.

She stood slowly and started walking.

She was worried, she thought that he would have called by now if he was okay.

She has a feeling that if she turned around Baz or one of his team would be following her.

She quickly answers her phone when it starts ringing.

"Hello?" she says softly.

 _"Stop looking so sad."_

"Red…" she sighs his name. She looks around her but doesn't see him. "Where are you?"

 _"As close as I dare. I'm going to have to be without you for a while."_

"How long?" she whimpers sitting down.

 _"Only for a short time."_

"Why?"

 _"I can't lose you, my Queen. That was too close."_

"Dembe is looking for you."

 _"He knows how to find me."_

"He kissed Kitty." she tries to laugh.

 _"Guess I'm not the only stupid one. Lizzie, my love. I want you to know, wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, if you are in need, I will be there."_

"Swear."

 _"Always."_

"Cooper, he and the task force. They're looking for you."

 _"I need to go."_

"I love you, my King."

 _"I love you, too."_

She cries as she hears him hang up


	10. Chapter 10

**The Good Samaritan Killer**

 **Lizzie**

She sits on the mat watching as Kitty tries to take down a man twice her size.

"Here." Baz says holding out a bottle of water to her.

She takes it, drinking slowly.

"Three weeks….I'm going insane." she says as Baz sits down next to her. Baz places his hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly just to let her know that he's there.

"Guard your left, Kitten!" Baz yells.

They watch as Kitty nods and does just that.

She's noticed that all of Red's people have pet names for them. Kit is Kitten, Kitty, Baby Girl or Rook. While she's Liz, Lizzie, Lady Red or Queenie.

"From my experience with Red all I can tell you is that I know he misses you...he's just being careful. More than likely your phones are tapped. The boys and I aren't going anywhere. We can't help your sanity but we keep you safe." Baz tells her.

"I know. I just miss him..so much." she says taking a deep breath.

"YES!" Kitty exclaims standing over Nathaniel. Kitty smiles and holds out her hand helping the giant to stand.

She smiles and claps.

"Ready to head back to the house?" she calls out.

Kitty nods and goes over to start collecting their stuff.

"Don't worry, Queenie. He'll be home soon." Baz says helping her to her feet.

* * *

They ignore the van in the street as they enter the house.

Hudson waiting for them when they enter. His tail wagging excitedly.

"How long are we going to be under surveillance?" Kitty asks going right to the kitchen and starts taking out something to make them breakfast.

"Everyone is under surveillance, not just us." she mutters going to the cabinet and taking out a mug and tea bag.

"Still?" Kitty asks looking at the tea bag.

"I can't shake this bug. I'm stressed, not sleeping...I need…" she sighs.

"Your King." Kitty says stopping what she is doing and comes around hugging her.

She takes out her pendant, needing to feel the weight of it in her hand. "I miss him..so much. Every time my phone goes off, for a moment, I hope...and it turns out not to be him."

"I am going to beat him up when I see him. I think I can take him." Kitty says struggling to smile as she heads back over to make the two of them some scrambled eggs. Luckily Dembe had taught Kitty enough that she doesn't burn breakfast any longer.

"You'll have to pin Dembe first. He might like that though." she says trying to smile but failing.

"Ha, funny. I think you would have a better time with this if Dembe could tell you more when he called or let you talk to him." Kitty says shaking her head and goes back to making them some scrambled eggs.

"Have you talked to him about the kiss?" she asks heating some water.

"He says it was just a fluke, that he doesn't see me that way. It was a thank you for praying with him and understanding...I don't know. The thing is I'm kinda glad it was a fluke. He's family."

She nods in understanding.

"Has he told you anything?" Kitty asks.

"As of last week, he didn't have anything new to tell me...but Baz said something today that made sense to me." she says filling the mug with hot water.

"What?" Kitty asks putting some of the eggs in the frying pan.

"That our phones could be tapped and that's why he isn't calling. Could you imagine Cooper or Ressler's reaction to one of our calls?" she says as a wave a nausea hits her.

"You okay?" Kitty asks turning towards her.

She nods and sits down, "I need to eat before my stomach stages a revolt."

Kitty nods and puts half of the eggs on a plate and places it in front of her. "Eat."

She grabs a fork and starts eating, the nasua waning as she eats and drinks her tea.

"Better?" Kitty asks putting eggs on a plate for herself before putting the pan in the sink.

"Yeah. Sit diwn. I'm sorry that I've…." she starts.

"Lizzie, the man that you love is in the wind. Since you met him, there's only been a handful of days that you didn't speak to each other. You get together and his voice is the last thing you hear before bed and sometimes the first thing you hear in the morning. Three weeks is a long time for radio silence." Kitty says.

"Yeah…" she starts as her phone starts buzzing.

She picks it up and sees it's an email from someone in her old team at Mobil Psych.

The Good Samaritan.

"Oh god.." she whispers opening it. "He's back."

"Who?" Kitty asks coming to look over her shoulder.

* * *

 **Post Office**

"You're sure it's him?" Cooper asks her as she stands in front of him in one of Red's dress shirts that she had taken from the apartment and a pair of jeans.

Kitty was currently down in the bullpen putting all her old case notes on the Good Samaritan together to brief the others.

"Everything is the same. It's him." she tells him handing him the folder.

"Mobile psych can handle this." Cooper says clearly confused why she would bring this to him.

"Sir..I was lead on this. They're requesting I liaison." she tells him trying to keep a calm facade up when all she want to do is grab him by the collar and tell him that they are taking this case.

"Our job is to find Raymond Reddington." Cooper declares.

She clenches her hand into a fist behind her back and licks her lips, taking a deep breath. "This case was and is important to me. I guess you would say it's personal. Since everyone seems to think Red is obsessed with me, there's a good chance he could reach out to help." she says knowing that she is right.

That he would reach out, he knows what this case means to her.

Whatever Cooper was going to say is cut off by a knock and a junior agent poking her head in.

"OPR is ready." the agents tells them.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"What is happening with Reddington and Kathleen Scott here? What is Reddington saying?" OPR asks turning a monitor to him.

Red is giving him the transfusion and talking but no sound can be heard. Kitty is kneeling behind him from the angle it looks like they are almost kissing.

"Reddington is saving my life. It doesn't matter what he's saying." he says leaning back in his chair.

"What about this?" the woman presses a key and the screen changes.

It's when Red is holding the gun to his head. He puts his hand on his wrist, feeling the small knight that he hadn't taken off since he woke up in the hospital.

"Wanting the code, Garrick had a gun to Liz's head. Kit wanted the code to give up Red for her sister. She pulled the gun on me first. Red took it from her. He wanted me to give him the code." he said even though part of him suspected the reason wasn't all that different for Red.

Over the weeks, he remembered the small red thing on Red's necklace. The other night when he caught sight of the knight in the shower, it clicked in that it was a small red chess piece, he just wasn't sure what piece it was.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"What was your relationship with Luli Zeng?" the OPR asks her.

"She was a friend of sorts." she said glaring at the woman.

"You seemed awfully distraught for being just friends. Reddington's man Dembe...what is your relationship with him?" OPR says clicking some buttons showing her breaking down as Dembe is kneeling in front of the box.

"Like my sister, I'm just another person that Red talks to. So he tolerates me." she says as her nails dig into her skin from clenching her fist tight.

"They each called you Kitten when Garrick was holding a gun to Miss Zeng's head." the woman says playing the clip from outside the cage. She breathes deep as she watches herself scream at Cooper and cling to Red.

"Of course they were, they always thought that I'm someone that must be protected from the bad things that happen. I'm not an agent, I'm just an consultant that works with her older sister. I'm a child in their eyes. Nothing more, nothing less." she says, lying through her teeth.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Have you had any contact with Reddington in the past three weeks?"

"No." she tells him honestly, frowning.

"Miss Scott, is your ex-husband cleared to know of this blacksite?"

"No." she all but growls.

"Yet, he was brought here."

"As part of an investigation." she says sighing heavily.

"What investigation?"

"Check your file, you'll find it."

The woman makes a note and she breathes deep.

"Where were you when the site was taken?"

"I was in the elevator. I wasn't feeling well earlier and was running late."

"How convenient. Especially since your sister was here on time."

* * *

 **Aram**

"According to your therapist, you feel guilty about shooting a terrorist during the raid."

He scoffs looking behind the investigator. "I thought therapy was confidential?"

"Why do you feel guilty? The man had a gun to Agent Scott's head."

"He's still human."

* * *

 **Ressler**

He and Liz walk the corridor. He feels stiff using a cane.

"You taking it easy?" Liz asks looking at the cane.

"Yeah."

"Listen..I know how Kitty was when she got hurt, if you need to talk or anything. We're here." Liz said looking at him with a look in her eyes that he slowly understood.

"Kit broke her leg when she got hooked, didn't she?" he asks having them stop.

"Yeah."

"Okay...new subject. Tell me about this guy. His victims?" he asks as they start walking again.

"There's been seven to date. They're all different ages, income, sex and races. He was unpredictable. We..I..could never figure out his trigger. Only that he wanted to make a statement."

"What do you mean?"

"He, himself, didn't kill the victims. He called 911 every time, giving first responders just enough time to save their lives. The papers gave him the name 'The Good Samaritan'." Liz tells him as they turn the corner.

The victim's husband and son are sitting there.

The husband notices them first.

"Can you tell me? Is it my wife?" the husband asks.

He watches Liz swallow hard, "We need you to confirm that for us."

"Your son? What's his name?" he asks.

"Michael." the husband says clearly upset already.

"Why don't you take Mr. Brodine inside? I'll hang out here with Michael. If that's alright?"

Mr. Brodine nods.

Liz leads Mr. Brodine into the morgue.

He shuffles over to the bench Michael is sitting at.

"Hey, Michael. I'm Don." he says sitting down.

"Is my dad in trouble?" the boy asks a little scared.

He bites the inside of his cheek, "No, he's not."

The boy nods and looks down at their feet. "What happened to your leg?"

"Tripped over my own feet." he says with a smile.

"I broke my collarbone once." Michael says looking past him to where Liz and Mr. Brodine had gone.

"That must have hurt." he says trying to distract the kid. He almost wishes Kit was here, she would have this kid talking about comics or something. "You know I have a friend that likes to call me Captain America. I don't see it, do you?"

"Umm...when's my dad coming back?" Michael asks extremely nervous.

* * *

 **Red**

He sighs as he sits in the funeral parlor. Dembe and Newton at his back.

Luli is in her coffin in front of him.

"I want you to personally arrange transport of her ashes. I want it done properly." he says looking at Newton.

Newton nods and walks off.

He feels strange not wearing a suit. Being in jeans, a hoodie and knit cap will help him blend in better in what he is about to do.

"How is she?" he asks Dembe.

"According to Baz, missing you. Kitty told him that Lizzie is barely sleeping and is extremely stressed. Baz told me to tell you get your head out of your ass and call our 'Queenie'." Dembe tells him with a straight face.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Fighting the temptation to grab a phone just to hear her voice.

"Let's get to work." he says standing. The sooner he finds the leak the sooner he can return to his heart.

* * *

He steps out of one of the stalls in the bathroom.

The man that watched his girls for who knows how long stands there.

"What the fuck you staring at?" the man demands when he gets close.

He grabs his arm and forces it back while slamming his face into the wall.

"I want you to tell me about your friend, the man with the apple." he hisses into the man's ear before handing him over to Dembe and lead them to his car.

"I never met him before. I didn't even know his name. We just sat there and watched those two girls." the man said nervously considering he had a gun trained on him.

"How did you communicate." he asks.

"Burner phones. Everything is anonymous. We all had our own jobs.

"How did you get paid?"

"Cash. At drop sites. Never the same place twice."

"How often were you watching them?" he asks wanting to know what this man had seen.

"Mostly during the day..he watched them during the night." the man says not meeting his eyes.

He looks and notices Dembe tighten his hands around the steering wheel. Each of them knew that both girls enjoyed morning showers.

"You should have turned this job down." he growls.

* * *

Dembe forces the paramedic that removed his chip into the car.

"What were you told?" he asks looking at the woman as if she was a bug he wanted to step on.

"I have never worked with any of those people before. I was told I had less than four minutes to take a chip out of your neck."

"Who told you that?"

"The ones that paid me."

"How were you paid."

"Cash...at some random spot. Mostly small bills. I was grabbed that day, I didn't know where we were going."

He just shakes his head.

* * *

This time the doctor is in the backseat.

"You were not aware of the target?" he asks.

"Not until I arrived. I was just hired to supply the injections and monitor your vital signs."

"How were you paid?"

"Cash. Just before I left the site."

"What was the denomination of bills?"

"Nothing larger than a twenty."

He nods at Dembe.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"You got a gift." Kitty says the instant she walks through the door.

On the coffee table is a bouquet of red carnations and a small box. She sits down and opens the box. Inside is a necklace with a 'Drink me' bottle and pocket watch pendants.

" **Alice in Wonderland**?" Kitty asks sitting down.

"He was reading it out loud to me." she laughs biting her lip. "When did this get here?"

"It was on the stoop when I got here." Kitty tells her. "Think he had one of the boys drop it off?"

"Maybe…" she says softly removing a folded note out of the box.

 _Lizzie,_

 _Just a little something I found that made me think of you. I'll be home soon, I promise...We only have a few chapters left..I would start thinking what you want to hear next._

 _I love you_

 _Your King_

She breathes out slowly, tears forming.

"God..I hope so." she whispers.

Kitty opens her mouth to say something when her phone starts ringing.

"It's Dembe." she sighs answering hoping for good news after receiving her gift. "Dembe..did you leave them?"

 _"Should I be worried?"_ Red asks a smile clear in his voice.

"Where….where are you?" she whimpers out, tears falling down her face at the sound of his voice. Kitty rests her hand on her back, rubbing small circles.

 _"I can't tell you..not yet. The Good Samaritan. He's back isn't he?"_

"Yes…"

 _"Are you working the case?"_

"Yeah, I am."

 _"How are you handling it? I know how important this one is to you."_

"Been better. Been worse. I just wish I knew what I messed with this guy."

 _"While I don't know about serial killer, I know torture. If you truly want to harm someone, you tailor the attack to the person. It's not a one size fits all approach."_

"The injuries he inflicts on the victims." she mutters.

 _"Our time is up. I need to go."_

"I know. Falling down the rabbit hole without you, come home." she whimpers out before hanging up, not telling him those three words she wants just in case the lines are tapped.

"Back to work?" Kitty asks.

She nods. Reaching into the box, she removes the new necklace and puts it on. The pendants join with the red queen piece perfectly.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She puts the X-rays on the screen, making sure to highlight the information that Lizzie wants to show to Ressler and Meera.

"You spoke to Reddington?" is the first thing out of Meera's mouth when she and Ressler join her and Lizzie.

"He called." Lizzie says nodding.

"What did Cooper say?" Meera asks as Ressler joins her at the desk and sits down.

"I haven't told him yet. This was more important." Lizzie states.

"He called and you haven't told anyone! Do you realize how that looks on us?"

"I am going to tell Cooper but something he said struck me and excuse me if I'm more interested in finding a murder then tattling to our boss that Red reached out." Lizzie says glaring at Meera.

"What did Red tell you?" Ressler asks being the voice of calm for once.

"That we are doing things wrong. We've been focusing on the killer. We should have looked at the victims, Kitty." Lizzie said nodding at her. "Alright, the most recent victim's son. He broke his collarbone."

"Yeah. The kid told me about that." Ressler states.

"Lizzie and I combed his medical records. For his age, he's had a lot of hospital visits." she said swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Broken ribs, collapsed lung, blunt force trauma to the liver and kidneys." Lizzie says letting the knowledge sink in.

Meera covers her mouth as she puts up more X-rays for them to see.

"He's been abused." Ressler states.

"I checked. Every single injury that the boy had, the killer inflicted on the mother." Lizzie states.

"We need to talk to him." Ressler says.

"He and his father will be here in an hour." she says.

"Malik. Alone." Cooper says motioning for Meera to follow him.

* * *

 **Red**

He walks into the empty restaurant. Dembe is waiting patiently in the car. Smirks at the man sitting by himself with only two guards.

"Hello, Fyodor." he says shooting the guards before any of them can react, including the one that runs up behind him.

He shoots Fyodor in the leg so the man can't get away.

"Alright! I can fix this! Just tell me how!" Fyodor yells out.

"You will." he says as he binds Fyodor to the chair.

He grabs some alcohol off the bar and pours it on Fyodor's leg. Making sure to take a long sip as Fyodor yells and groans from the pain.

"I want your banker." he states.

"What..I don't…."

"You are the only one I know that is too cheap to pay the commission for clean cash. Always paying your contracts with bills under twenties. Now I ask again. Who is your banker?" he asks with a forced laugh.

Fyodor shakes his head 'no'.

He scoffs and pours the alcohol all over Fyodor. Soaking his head and body. He sits down, grabbing a partially smoked cigar and pulls out a box of matches.

He lights the cigar and holds the match right in front of Fyodor, who whimpers.

"Red…" Fyodor whimpers out.

He flicks his wrist, tossing the match and holds the lite cigar right in Fyodor's face. "Your bank."

Fyodor shakes his head, sobbing.

"How about I make this easier. There are five bankers on the East Coast that were capable of financing Garrick's little mission. I use four of them. Which one?"

"Wired...wired from Gestalten Landesbank. New York office. That's all I know." Fyodor sobs.

"Good." he says standing.

"We're good. We're finished?" Fyodor asks in relief.

"We're done." he says as he dumps the rest of the alcohol all over him before sticking the cigar in Fyodor's mouth.

Fyodor tries to hold the cigar up so not to let the ash fall.

He laughs darkly and humorlessly, "The suspense is killing me."

He raises his gun and shoots Fyodor point blank before walking out.

* * *

 **Kitty**

Michael shakes his head and curls into his dad.

"I know that this is hard." she says kneeling in front of the boy.

Ressler and Lizzie are sitting in the room but it was decided that she should be the one to talk to him. Hoping that she could relate to him better.

"I don't like to talk about it." Michael says softly.

"I know. Hey..do you like Marvel or DC better?" she asks trying to get the boy to open up and calm down.

"Batman is the bomb." Michael says softly.

"Now we are going to have problems, see I'm a Marvel girl."

"Are you the one that calls him Captain America?" Michael asks looking at Ressler.

Lizzie smiles softly, nodding at her trying to put the boy at ease.

"Yeah..you know she's my big sister. I call her Scarlet Witch. They protect me."

"It's good to have protection." Michael says looking at his dad.

"Your dad protects you, right?" she asks.

Michael nods.

"Okay...what about your mom? Did she protect you?"

Michael bites his lip and looks a little nervous.

"Okay...how did you break your arm and wrist?" she asks placing her hand on his wrist.

"I fell...off my bike."

"You sure about that?" she asks noticing his hesitation.

"Yes. That's what I'm suppose to say." Michael says.

She looks at Lizzie and Ressler.

"Who told you to say that they were accidents?" Ressler asks leaning forward.

"Michael, it's okay. You're not in trouble." Michael's dad says.

"No one here is going to hurt you." she tells him softly.

"My mom." Michael whispers and starts crying softly.

She gets up and sits down next to the boy trying to comfort him as Lizzie and Ress leave the room.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"So the woman was abusing him for years. Now she's dead." Meera states as Kitty rejoins them.

"Is it wrong to say I kinda don't care." Kitty mutters sitting down next to Ressler.

"Kitty." she says wanting to scold her but can't do it.

Kitty shrugs as Ressler places his hand over Kitty's and squeezes.

"So every injury she inflicted on Michael was given to her." Ressler states.

"Normally, the dad would be the perfect suspect but it doesn't work with the other victims." she states.

"Wait...what if it's the same thing?" Kitty says typing on her keyboard.

"What are you thinking?" she asks.

"What if he targets abusers?" Kitty says looking at them.

"A vigilante killer." Ressler says, shocked.

"Kitty, do background check on all the victims. See if any of them had family members with identical injuries." she says.

Kitty nods and gets to work.

"Where the hell is Aram?!" Ressler asks looking around.

* * *

 **Red**

Dembe places the hooded man in the seat across from him and removes the hood.

"Aram, good of you to join me." he says leaning back in his chair.

"What?...How?...What did I do?" Aram asks looking around the room.

"You are going to do something for me." he says placing a piece of paper on the table next to the laptop in front of Aram.

"What is this?" Aram asks shakily taking the paper.

"Certain account numbers, routing information. You are going to steal five million from this account and place it in mine. I want it untraceable."

"I can't." Aram exclaims scared and worried.

He pulls his gun out of his jacket, "Aram, my boy. This is a Colt .45. I can strip and reassemble this weapon in under two minutes."

"Sir?" Aram's eyes go wide.

"Once I have it back together, I am going to reload the mag and if you are not done, I will empty the mag in your head." he says smiling at the boy.

"Liz and Kitty will be mad at you if you kill me." Aram states.

"Of course they will. If I tell them." he says pleased at the boy for the attempt. Seems he's not as dumb as he appears to be.

Aram swallows and gets to work as he starts stripping the gun.

Aram has one eye on him as he finishes and starts to point the gun at him.

"Wait! Please, please, please, wait! I'm done. See." Aram turns the laptop towards him. "It's untraceable like you asked."

"Really? Explain." he asks looking at the information in front of him.

"I used a ripple exchange to have the Fiat currency converted to e-cash and then into coin. I ran the whole transaction through a randomized cryptographic extension at the protocol level, then through a two-tiered secure laundry service I know I can trust. No one's gonna catch you. I promise." Aram asks staring at the gun.

He ejects the bullet and hands it over. "Bravo. You're innocent. I see why Kitty calls you Vision."

"Wait. Of what?" Aram asks taking the bullet.

"The team that got into the Post Office was paid through Gestalten Landesbank. A contact traced the payment to a covert account belonging to one Louis Coogan."

"Huh?"

"A cover. For you. Someone is framing you as the mole. Making it appear that you are the one responsible for everything."

"No. I wouldn't betray Kitty or Liz like that. Hurting you hurts them." Aram says before he can stop himself.

He laughs softly. Stands and leaves the room.

* * *

He returns to the banker that set him after Aram with the wrong information.

After some threatening, the banker gives up the name of the true person behind financing Garrick.

His own man, Newton Phillips.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Every single one." she mutters as Lizzie, Ressler and Cooper stare at the screens in front of them.

"Every victim had a spouse or child with identical injuries. Fractured skulls, broken bones and torn retinas." Lizzie says.

"Classic signs of physical abuse." Ressler mutter.

She notices that he is spinning the bracelet she gave him around his wrist. He catches her watching and smiles softly at her.

"You really think that your serial killer only target people that hurt others?" Cooper asks Lizzie surprise and disbelief clear in his voice.

"The evidence fully supports that idea." Lizzie states.

"The problem is that nothing ties them together. Different hospital, different insurance, different doctors." Captain America says playing devil's advocate.

Lizzie looks at the charts in front of her.

"Kitty, cross reference the attending nurse for each of them. Stick to the ER visits first." Lizzie tells her.

A few keystrokes and a pattern shows up.

"Nurse Karl Hoffman." she says.

"Every time one of the family members were brought into the ER, he was there. He's a locum tenens." Lizzie states looking at Cooper.

"What's that mean?" Cooper asks.

"He's a sub. He fills in when the hospital is short staffed." she states bring up the man's information.

"Where's he working today?" Ressler asks.

"Start driving, I'll send you the information." she calls out as Lizzie grabs her jacket and starts leading Ressler out of the building.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

They get to the hospital a few hours after Hoffman's shift ends.

Luckily the attending nurse gives them the one name of the next possible victim.

The checked with the wife and found out that the husband is going to group counseling.

In fact that's where he currently was.

They missed the husband by less than an hour.

The support group leader let her and Ressler know that he had left with a man that looked like Hoffman.

After the leader tells them that Hoffman told the group about his abuse from his mother she figures out that's where he'll be. His childhood home.

* * *

She enters the shed to find Hoffman standing over his victim, hammer in hand.

"Step away from him!" she yells, gun aimed right at him.

"Why?! He's a monster!" Hoffman declares.

"Maybe..but killing him makes you a bigger monster." she states clearly.

"Talk to me when you are a victim." Hoffman tells her.

"I am one. My own parents tried to kill me and my baby sister by setting our home on fire." she says trying not to cry. She had gotten lucky and overheard Sam talking to someone on the phone when she was little. Someone had saved her and Kitty from the fire while their parents had left them there. "I know that killing him would make things better but it won't work. Drop the hammer." she says trying again.

For a moment she thinks that he is going to drop it until she notices that there is another person in the shed.

Hoffman glares at the woman in the wheelchair, hammer raised and starts for her.

She shoots before he can even take a step.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Where's Lizzie?" she asks when Ressler enters his and Lizzie's office.

"At the hospital with Mrs. Wilkinson and her husband." Ressler says sitting down.

She watches as he takes a pain pill.

"You're taking it easy on those, right?" she asks.

"Liz asked the same thing. I'm being careful." he says but she notices him roll his eyes.

"How are things with Audrey?" she asks.

"We're talking..sometimes. I'm trying to remember that she's engaged. Can I ask you why?" he looks right at her.

"Why what?" she says looking at him under her lashes.

"Why did you bring her back into my life?"

"Many reasons and maybe someday I'll tell you." she says with a smirk and heads towards the door. "I know you think you're being good with the meds. I did too. I'm here if you need to talk or just want to hang out."

"I'll keep that in mind. Heading home?" he asks watching her.

"No. A meeting, the gym and doing my final day at the bar. I won't see my bed until...four. If I'm lucky." she says with a smile and leaves.

If she had turned around, she would have seen him watching her. If she had turned around, she would have seen him take another pain pill.

* * *

 **Red**

He sits next to the lake as he empties Luli's ashes into the water.

He turns and walks up the shore to find Newton waiting for him.

"Newton." he nods at him.

Newton walks past him, staring out at the water.

"It's done." Newton ask, his voice wobbly.

He steps close to the man that he had trusted for years. "If you had come to me, all this...all this could have been avoided."

Newton turns to look at him. Fear and understanding on his face.

"My family…."

"They'll be taken care of. Whatever they need."

Newton nods.

"Look at the water."

Newton turns away from him.

He grabs the plastic bag that Luli's ashes had just been in and quickly places it over Newton's head.

Newton only fights for a moment before going limp, giving in to his death.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Kitty, I thought you weren't going to be back til late." she asks walking away from her glass of wine.

"Just me." Red says entering the room.

She smiles softly, rushing over to him.

He wraps his arms around her, lifting her slightly as she covers his mouth with hers in a kiss, praying that if this is a dream she doesn't wake up.

He walks them to the couch, she sits down and leans back. He follows, not once removing his lips from hers.

He rests between her legs as she wraps one leg around him, trying to get him closer.

"Lizzie…" he sighs against her mouth.

"You are not allowed to leave me for that long...ever again." she whispers as he kneels up to remove his jacket.

"Never….is this my shirt?" he asks, finally noticing what she is wearing.

"Mine now...but if you want it back…." she says softly removing a hand from his shirt to start undoing the one she is wearing.

"God, I love you." he whispers as he starts kissing her neck.

She pushes him to a sitting position and straddles his lap. Her shirt open to reveal a lacy red barely there bra.

She leans away from his, just tracing her fingertips across his lips, down his neck.

"Tell me." she says softly able to tell that something is wrong.

"I had to clean house. So while mine is clean...I'm not sure about yours."

"Who?"

"Newton. Whoever did it, threatened his family." he says trying to touch as much of her as possible.

"But…" she says as he pushes her shirt off.

"The amount of knowledge needed wasn't enough from my organization. It had to be supplied by someone with far greater access."

"Higher on the food chain or inside the Post Office?" she asks undoing his belt and placing soft kisses on his neck.

"Looks like." he says standing, she wraps her legs around his waist once he removes her jeans and panties as he presses her between him and the wall.

"Welcome home." she shudders out as he throbs against her core.

"It's good to be home." he says plunging into her as he kisses her deeply.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Alchemist  
Lizzie & Red**

She rests her head on his chest, looking up at him while he traces patterns on her back.

"It's good to have you home." she says softly. "Where have you been?"

"Here, there, everywhere." he tells her, not bothering to open his eyes. "Sleep."

She smiles and curls into him, slowly allowing sleep to take her.

* * *

She wakes up alone. She looks around the room and until her eyes rest on his fedora on her dresser, she thought she had dreamed him there again.

She walks nude to the dresser and puts it on.

She smirks at her reflection.

"That is a beautiful sight." Red says as he enters the room.

She smiles softly at him, just enjoying the sight of him.

He must have had Dembe bring him some clothes, since the slacks and shirt he is wearing are different than the ones that he arrived in.

"I've missed you." he says pulling her against him.

"Me too. Never again go that long with radio silence." she says raising onto her toes to brush her lips against his mouth. "You're already dressed. I thought we could save water and shower together."

"As much as I want to take you up on that thought. We have work to do." he says allowing his hands to caress her skin before moving away.

"Another name." she says reluctantly turning away from him and pulling clothes from the dresser.

He sits at the end of the bed and watches her put clothes on.

"Where's Dembe?" she asks pulling on a thong and putting on her bra. Matching of course.

He sighs enjoying the view as she wiggles into a pair of jeans, "Making breakfast with Kitty. Poor thing looks like something Hudson dragged in."

She laughs softly as she pulls on a top. Tight jeans and a low cut grey top, he watches as she adds a feminine style vest over the top. Add the fact that she still has his fedora on her head, it's official she's trying to kill him slowly.

"Last night was her last night at the bar. With everything that has been going on, we felt it better if she works at the gym when she not in the Post Office."

"What is she doing at the gym?" he asks slightly confused.

"Baz is having her upgrade his computer system. I think it's just a way from him to train her more so that she can protect herself."

He chuckles softly knowing that she is on the right track, shaking his head as she comes over and places her hands on his shoulders. He looks up, his eyes catching the pendants resting between the valley of her breasts. He runs his hands up her legs, resting them at the top of her hips.

"Let's go eat." he says huskily as he stands, a breath away from her.

"Am I tempting you to forget about breakfast?" she whispers as she brushes her lips at the base of his throat.

"Yes...tempting creature but we need to eat." he says pulling her out of the bedroom, down the stairs to the kitchen.

She inhales the scent of breakfast.

"Oh, that smells so good." she says stepping around him.

Dembe has already placed the food on the table. Eggs, bacon and french toast piled on four plates. Fresh fruit and two cups of tea. She also notices a jug of orange juice.

"Dembe made you and Red some tea when I told him that you had been fighting a bug." Kitty says sitting down.

"You're not feeling well?" Red asks placing his hand on her lower back. Rubbing small circles.

"I've been stressed so I couldn't shake it. Maybe now that you're home and I'm not worried about you, I'll be able to fight it." she says sitting down and taking a sip of her tea.

"So, Red...I am now able to take down a guy twice my size, you ever pull a disappearing act like this again. I will find you and make you pay." Kitty says unable to keep a straight face.

Dembe cracks a smile as he sits down next to Kitty.

"How will you find me?" he asks, his eyes finally noticing the wall full of information about Tom Keen.

"I have my ways." Kitty says watching him.

Noticing that his eyes are on the wall over her head, she pulls him down to sit next to her.

"Ignore it for now." she tells him.

He nods just enjoying sitting with them. It's been weeks since all of them were together. Hudson rests his head in his lap and gives him a slight whimper.

He rolls his eyes but takes a piece of bacon off his plate and gives it to the dog.

"Tell us about the name." she asks nibbling on a slice of french taost.

"Ahhh, yes." he says clearing his throat and takes a sip of his tea. "They call him the Alchemist."

"Why?" Kitty asks, nibbling on her bacon.

"I'll get to that my dear. This man, he protects the guilty by preying on the innocent. He has killed women, children, infants if need be."

"Kids…" she and Kitty both whisper.

He nods, "I have learned that he has been contracted to protect Pytor Madrczyk and his wife."

"Who?" Kitty asks looking at her.

"A mob informant." she tells her.

"Correct, my Queen." he says leaning over and kissing the side of her neck, inhaling the scent of her. "And to answer your question, Kitty. He is called the Alchemist since he uses science to transform one person into another."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

 **The Post Office**

"For once I get to say, Reddington is wrong and it's not going to bite me in the ass." Meera says with a smirk. "The victims of that plane crash have been identified as Pytor and Catherine Madrczyk, ex-Serbian mob turned informants."

"Does Reddington have an explanation for this? He said that they were going to disappear." Cooper states.

"I'm sure he's thinking of one right now." she snarks back.

"Call him and get him here so he can give it." Cooper tells her.

"Not going to happen. He will only meet off site. He doesn't think that the mole hunt is over. Red thinks that there is someone on the inside." she tells him.

"Where's Kit?" Aram asks as he and Ressler look around.

"Making sure Red doesn't try to leave the country." she says hiding her smirk.

Ressler covers up his laugh with a cough.

"Well, unlike Reddington the DOJ are satisfied. The hunt is done." Cooper states.

"Whoever was watching us, they are not a part of this unit." Meera states.

"What I'm concerned about at the moment, is this case. If this crash is not an accident, then I want to know what it is. So meet with Reddington, wherever he wants. Get the man to talk." Cooper tells her.

* * *

 **Red**

He walks through the warehouse, Kitty right behind him.

Since Lizzie was going after the name that he had given her and Baz didn't need her at the gym until tomorrow, it was decided that she would help him with the mole hunt. His contact Borochov was having a hard time keeping his eyes off Kitty as they walked and talked.

"We've gone through everything, phone calls, texts, digital data from on and around the time of the breach. Yadin even went back a couple days." Borochov says.

He looks at the young man knowing that if he didn't need him, he would strangle him for going off on things he barely understood.

"Hey Borochov, eyes off my tits and stop burying the lead." Kitty says coming to stand beside him.

He covers a smirk at the look on Borochov's face.

"I.. um...we...um...we need more time. Another week or two…" Borochov tries to tell him.

"Ahh..there he is.." he smiles and moves over to the table that Dembe puts the fruit basket that he just brought in. "A gift. A care package for Julian." he smiles at the young man that has been following them around.

"Looks good. What's in there? Jackfruit, some vitamin D, ohhh kola nuts." Kitty says moving around the table and leaning over bringing Julian and Borochov's attention to her visible cleavage.

He closes his eyes, trying to stifle his laughter at the two young men becoming tongue tied. "So, the defense fund, where are we at?" he asks trying to get the boys to remember that they have brains in there heads.

"We've got an amazing team but it's expensive." Borochov says finally taking his eyes off Kitty to look at him.

"He's been holed up at that embassy for, what, two years now? It could go on forever and cost a fortune. I'm practically bankrolling the entire defense fund as it is. For that, I need best efforts. Surely, there's some stone you've left unturned." he says looking around.

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Kitty smile flirtingly at Borochov. Smart girl, make him want to impress you.

"There is something." Borochov says swallowing hard.

Borochov leads them to a side room, full of trash bags.

"We have a man inside a company that shreds classified documents. We have bags of raw data, just haven't seen the point of reassembling it." Borochov states.

"It's a puzzle." Kitty says opening one of the bags, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Quite right. Put it together." he says looking at Borochov and Julian.

Julian looks at them in utter shock.

"You have to be kidding, right?" Borochov asks.

"Borochov, I hate sarcasm, and I love puzzles. Get on it." he says walking out.

"You're a smart man, I'm sure you'll be able to make it work." he hears Kitty say from behind him.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She stands next to Dembe in the back of a Synagogue trying to figure out what Red is looking at. She smiles as Lizzie enters.

"Hey guys." Lizzie says softly. "You know, you might want to suggest to my followers that they are extremely noticeable."

"They are meant to be." Dembe says as he gives Lizzin a quick one arm hug and nods to where Red is sitting.

She smiles at Lizzie and gives her a quick nod.

Lizzie goes over and sits down next to Red.

She watches as they talk quietly. After a few minutes of them whispering, she notices Baz walk in.

"Everything okay?" she asks softly noticing the expression on his face.

Baz shakes his head and whispers something to Dembe.

"Raymond. Liz." Dembe calls getting their attention.

The two of them come over.

"What's going on?" Red asks frowning as Lizzie holds his hand, their finger intertwined..

"Seems Queenie here had a couple other tails." Baz states.

"Cooper or Ressler?" Lizzie asks sighing.

"One was FBI. We're not sure who the other was." Baz tells them honestly.

"I get the FBI would follow you cause they want access to Red but who else would be following you?" she asks.

"What about whoever hired Tom?" Lizzie asks looking at Red.

"I think now would be a good time for you to take that trip to find Madrczyk." Red says wrapping his arm around Lizzie's waist.

"Alone?" Lizzie asks looking up at Red with a look of pure love.

"You'll have Captian America with you and Meera. Perhaps, Kitty will join you." Red states dropping a quick kiss on Lizzie's mouth.

She looks down, wanting to give the two of them some illusion of privacy.

"You must try the fertilized duck eggs. It's a daring and unique experience." Red says to Lizzie with a laugh as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Not in a million years." Lizzie says with a smile. "You joining us?" she asks moving away from Red and looking at her.

She nods, laughing behind her as they leave. Baz following closely behind.

* * *

 **Budapest, Hungary**

She sits in a corner booth with Ressler while Lizzie sit at the bar and Meera is at a table near the door. Each of them have a earbud in their ear so they can talk.

 _"Anything yet?"_ Lizzie asks.

 _"Of course not. The man is dead. We're looking for his ghost."_ Meera snarks.

"Does that mean we should call ourselves the _**Ghostbusters**_?" she asks innocently.

 _"Kit Kat…"_ Meera says with a small smile in her voice.

Ressler laughs resting his arm on the back of her chair, so that to everyone around it looks like they are on a date.

"So Audrey...wants to meet for drinks." Ressler says pulling her closer to him.

"Oh boy...this a good thing or a bad thing?" she asks leaning against him, trying to hide her smile.

"I don't know, she wants to talk about Tassels." he says burying his face near her neck and speaking softly in her ear.

She tries to remind herself that this is for show and he is off limits for those kind of thoughts but that doesn't stop the small chill that goes down her spine.

"Tassels?" she asks a little confused.

"The fiancee. I guess he's a hedge fund guy, you know one that wears those stupid loafers with tassels. I think she wants me to be happy for her...but.."

"You're still in love with her and want to tell her to screw Tassels and come back to you." she says smiling and patting the hand that is still on the table.

He laughs and nods.

 _"Holy Fuck! I hate it when he is right. Heading your way."_ Meera tells them.

She looks up and notices the guy.

 _"Any sign of the wife?"_ Lizzie asks.

 _"He's alone."_

 _"Get ready everyone."_ Lizzie says over coms.

Madrczyk joins several people already seated at a table.

Lizzie gets up from the bar and starts moving towards the direction of the man.

Madrczyk moves away from the table.

"He noticed her." she says softly as Ressler gets up.

"I know." he says softly. "Stay here."

Madrczyk comes to an open doorway and pushes the man there and break for it.

All agents pursue him as he runs into the kitchen.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

 **Post Office**

"Where's Madrczyk?" Cooper asks as he joins her and Aram at one of the computers. Luckily, she, Ressler, Meera and Kitty had been able to catch a little sleep on the plane ride home.

"Ressler has him at the field office." she says.

"Kit?" Cooper asks looking around the slightly empty bullpen.

"She's checking in with her side job before heading home." she tells them.

"Side job?" Aram asks.

"She's updating the system to the gym that we use. Bringing the place into the twentieth century." she says with a smirk.

"Liz." Aram says showing her his screen.

"Sir, you are going to want to see this. Put it up." she tells Aram. "The autopsy report for the male victim from the plane. The dental plates were close enough to the margin of error to prove to be a match. Since we found Madrczyk alive, they checked the teeth closer and found that they had been altered."

"Altered? How?" Cooper asks.

"It looks like his teeth had been surgically replaced."

"I get changing the teeth, but how did he do the DNA?" Cooper asks.

"I'll find out." she says as she leaves the bullpen and enters her office.

Closing the door behind her, she calls Red.

 _"Hello my Queen."_ he says answering the phone.

"Hey you...I wish this was personal but unfortunately business must come first." she responds with a smirk. "The Alchemist, how does he do it?"

 _"I've only heard rumors, something like removing the white blood cells of the victim and replacing them with red blood cells of the client all the way to cloning DNA at crime scenes."_

"This is beyond evidence tampering."

 _"Yes. It's a trade in death. The guilty give their blood while the innocent give their lives to the guilty. Catching him will give you a chance to resurrect those vile beings that were thought long gone."_

"Like who?" she asks.

* * *

 **An Hour Later**

She gives Meera and Cooper a run down of a few of the things that Red told her before he tried to turn the phone call into something a little different.

It had been very hard not to go down that rabbit hole.

"Sarah Jenkins!" Aram exclaims looking at her.

"Who?" she asks.

"The female victim on the plane." Aram says looking at her like a puppy waiting for his treat.

"How did you identify her?" she asks placing a hand on Aram's shoulder and squeezing slightly to thank him.

"Now that we have an idea of what the Alchemist does, we used her bone marrow to run against the database. She was single, lived alone, but I did find this. Last time she was online was over seventy-two hours ago. She visited this dating website….which Kitty signed me up to without me knowing." Aram mutters the last part.

Hiding her smile, "Who was she online with?"

Aram smiles at her and does some quick typing.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He is waiting for the lawyer to be done talking to Madrczyk when Liz joins him.

"The female victim, we found that she was using a online dating site. We think that's how the Alchemist found her."

"Do we have a name?" he asks trying to ignore his phone going off in his pocket.

"Your ex?" Liz asks.

He nods.

"I'll tell you the same thing Kitty would suggest. Tell her the truth. We got an alias on who the female victim met with but we got a photo." Liz show him the photo.

His eyes widen at the sight of the lawyer and sprints back to the holding room.

"Ressler!" he hears Liz yell after him.

He gets to the room and finds the lawyer gone. Madrczyk is laying on the floor, foam oozing out of his mouth.

"Shit. Call a medic!" he yells out of the room.

* * *

 **The Post Office**

"His name is Eric Trettel. Flunked out of med school, so he falsified a degree from Harvard and landed a job in the Human Genome Project." Meera tells them.

He's pissed at himself for having the guy within arms reach and him getting away.

"He spun that into a career as an expert witness specializing in DNA evidence." Liz states.

"He testified in a case on behalf of Carlos Trena, a soldier in the D'Angelo crime family facing three counts of murder one." he says reading out of the folder of information.

"He was hired to present DNA evidence. Problem is, that evidence was falsified. Trettel was outed as a fraud and disgraced. Two weeks later, he disappeared. It was believed either the D'Angelo family had him killed or he fled to avoid indictment." Liz says.

"Friends? Family?" Cooper asks.

"Wife and daughter in Bethesda." he states.

"Alright. You find the car that he rented. Scott, go visit the wife." Cooper says pointing at him and Liz.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"When was the last time you saw him?" she asks, smiling softly at the young girl sitting with her mother.

"It's been about six years. Annie was only two when he left." Molly Trettel says rubbing her daughter's back.

She writes that down and looks up when she hears a soft beeping.

"Honey, go get something to eat. I think there are nuts in the kitchen." Molly tells her daughter.

Annie gets up and leaves the room.

"She's diabetic?" she asks.

Molly nods, "Just diagnosed."

"Does she know anything about her father?" she asks not wanting to reveal something unintelligently.

"You shouldn't have come here. Eric is a very dangerous man. He still thinks that the three of us are a family." Molly says standing.

"Molly..I know men far scarier. In fact, I know one that would scorch the Earth if something happens to me or my sister."

"You are a braver woman than I am." Molly says her eyes on the kitchen.

"If Eric thinks you are still a family, you've had contact with him?" she asks.

"He'll show up without asking or calling. Says he wants to help us. I tell him no, every single time but he has selective hearing. It only makes him more determined. That's what he loves about science. It's the challenge, the way it pushes back at him. It's the reason he spent all those hours in the lab." Molly tells her.

"Lab? What lab?"

* * *

 **Red**

Once again he is at the warehouse listening to Borochov go off about things that he doesn't understand.

He looks up when he feels eyes on him, Lizzie is standing there next to Dembe watching him with a smirk on her face.

"Who's the fox?" Borochov asks noticing Lizzie.

"Remember my friend Kitty. That is her older sister." he says keeping his eyes on her.

"Are either one of them single?" Borochov asks with a small whine in his voice as Lizzie heads towards them.

"Hmmm, Kitty currently is. This one is taken." he says when she reaches them.

Not even bother to acknowledge Borochov, Lizzie grabs him by the back of the neck, latching her mouth on his in a breathtaking kiss.

He doesn't even need to look to know that Borochov and all of the people working with him are staring at the two of them as he wraps an arm around her waist, bringing her as close as he dares.

He licks his lips when she finally stops the kiss, trying to savor the taste of her for one more moment.

"That's for the phone call from earlier." she says against his mouth.

"Was that punishment or a reward?" he asks huskily.

She just shrugs her shoulder at him. "What's all this?" she asks turning to look at Borochov.

Borochov is standing there with his mouth open like a gaping fish.

"Mole hunt, my Queen. You said something about numbers?" he asks moving her away from the shocked looks.

"I hope I have game like that when I'm his age." he hears muttered as they pass a couple of younger men.

Lizzie stops and turns to look at the two men.

"Boys, not even in your wildest dream will you have game like him." she says with a honest smile before turning back to him.

"My Queen." he says softly when she rejoins him. Enjoying the fact that she felt the need to praise him.

She pulls a evidence bag out of her pocket and hands it to him. "This was found in the car rented by the Alchemist. None of us have a clue what it means. Forensics found out that the paper itself is from a manufacturer back in Albany. They checked the clients and there is a bank, could this be part of a bank account in Zurich?" she asks.

"It could be anything. What about him that you found out is unique?" he asks watching her brain work.

"He's a scientist…"

"No, Lizzie. Not what he does. Who is he?" he says to her again.

"No one. He's a lab rat. A lab rat." she says smiling. She gives him a quick kiss before turning and rushing off.

"You are one lucky son of a bitch." one of the young men that remarked earlier says leaning back in his chair to watch Lizzie leave remarks.

"I know. And if you don't get your eyes off my fiancee, Borochov will have an empty slot to fill." he says with a straight face.

The man looks at him with pure fear so he smiles and walks off.

It's good to be King.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She steps outside and notices that a woman is staring up at the apartment looking torn.

"Can I help you?" she asks slowly moving down the steps until she is next to the woman.

"I'm looking for Tom." the young woman asks.

"Tom hasn't lived here for months. I would tell you to call him but his number is disconnected." she snorts moving around the girl to go up the street to meet one of the guys at the gym.

She hears the young woman start whimpering behind her.

"I hate that fucking angel." she mutters turning around. "Why are you looking for my sister's ex-husband?"

"He was married. Oh God. I think I'm going to be sick." the woman starts dry heaving into an empty trash can.

"Oh, are you another chick that he was screwing around with behind my sister's back?" she asks not really feeling sorry for the woman.

"I'm Jolene and I guess so." the girl says looking at her.

"I don't know what you had with Tom and I really don't give a flying fuck why you are here but my sister is finally happy. So even though I don't really want to know why the fuck are you here?" she asks annoyed.

"Are you sure he doesn't live here?" Jolene asks looking at the house one more time.

"Tom was kicked out nearly seven months ago. I'm sure." she states.

"That's weird. We spent the night here about a month and a half ago."

"What?! You know what sit down." she says pulling out her phone and dials Baz. "Are you with Red?"

 _"Yes."_

"Good..it seems about a month and a half ago, Tom used the house for a weekend hook up."

 _"I'll look into it."_

"Okay, thank you." she says hanging up.

"I shouldn't have just showed up but he wasn't at the school and I don't want to make this decision by myself." Jolene says placing a hand on her stomach.

"He knocked you up." she says coldly.

Jolene nods.

"Do yourself a favor. Put it up for adoption." she says shaking her head.

Jolene nods as she stands up.

"Tom isn't who you thought he was. You're not going to find him here. Please leave." she says turning and leaving the girl standing there. She takes out her phone and sends a text to Lizzie about this new little tidbit of information.

When she gets back home, she is washing every single piece of bedding in her and Lizzie's room. Plus cleaning the entire house.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

 **The Post Office**

She reads Kitty's text one more time, annoyed that Tom dared to use her house for a hook up.

"What's up?" Ressler asks coming into the office.

"One of Tom's flings showed up at the house looking for him. Seems he used the house when Kitty and I were gone for a weekend for said fling." she growls.

"That boy needs a beat down." Ressler mutters as his phone starts going off.

"Audrey?" she asks.

"Yeah..she really wants to meet. I know she wants me to be happy for her. I'm not." Ressler states nearly throwing his phone on his desk. "Distract me, please."

"Come here. Trettel's wife told me about a lab he use to keep in their basement. She let me look and I found this." she shows him the photos that she had scanned to her computer. "So that got me thinking, what if the number was from his new lab."

"What do you mean?" Ressler asks watching as she enlarges one of the photos.

"What if it's a model number or a…" she finishes enlarging the photo to show a number on the side of a microscope.

"A serial number." Ressler says leaving the office, yelling at one of the clerks to get him information.

* * *

"Hunch was right." Meera states joining her and Ressler a little bit later. "Those numbers are part of a serial number for a centrifuge purchased around the same time Trettel was hired by Madrczyk.

"Are we able to trace the sale?" Ressler asks as Cooper joins the three of them.

"Oh, yes. It was purchased by an LLC called MedTech Horizons." Meera says.

"Time to pay a visit." Cooper says nodding at them.

* * *

They found Trettel's lab.

They found signs of a recent operation.

There's dental x rays pinned up and moldings present.

"Everything is packed up. He's getting ready to leave." she says looking at the wall of how Trettel turned the two people on the plane into the Madrczyks.

"He knows that we're on to him." Meera states.

"That's why he took the risk of coming into the field office. Killed Madrczyk and his wife. The guy's killing everybody that might lead us to him." Ressler states.

"Molly and Annie." she exclaims turning and running, pulling out her phone.

Ressler and Meera's eyes widen in understandking.

"Go!" Meera yells as he takes off after Liz.

* * *

She sits on the curb outside the house, trying not to cry.

Ressler rubs her back as his phone goes off. He pulls it out of his pocket.

"Malik. We were too late. They're dead." he tells Meera.

* * *

 **Kitty**

 **The Post Office**

The instant she comes into the bullpen, she goes right to Lizzie, hugging her.

"I'm okay." Lizzie says softly.

"That was from me, Red and Dembe." she whispers.

Lizzie nods.

"Do you need help with the hard drives?" she asks removing her jacket and sitting down next to Aram.

"Some stuff was corrupted but I found something. Several DNA panels." Aram says bring it up on screen.

"One's been identified as the girl from the plane crash?" she asks grabbing her keyboard to see if she can do anything with the corrupted data.

"Yes but I think we also have the name for Madrczyk's stand in and the pilot." Aram says.

"My god, photos of the victims while sedated, genetic breakdowns, medical and dental records." Lizzie says until she trails off looking at the photos of a young woman and little girl.

"Lizzie, what's up?" she asks noticing that Lizzie is staring at the photo of the little girl.

"They're alive. Molly and Annie Trettel, they're alive." Lizzie says turning to them.

"Aram, call down. I want the the autopsies for the victims at the Trettel house done immediately. Forget cause of death. Have them check bone marrow. We need to know who they are." Ressler says looking at Aram, who quickly grabs his phone.

"Are you sure about this?" Meera asks.

"Molly told me that he thought of them as still a family. If he's running, he'll take them with him." Lizzie states.

"This is now an abduction." she states, typing on her computer. "I'm issuing an Amber Alert for Annie."

"Get pictures of Trettel and his wife to the media, any news outlet that will pick up the phone." Lizzie says coming to stand next to her.

* * *

 **Red**

He watches as a memo from Meera Malik to the Administrator Government Services Agency comes together.

 ** _Permission to Release Classified Schematic ..._**

"Attractive but treacherous." he mutters under his breath.

"Hold on.." he hears Dembe say behind him.

"It's Liz." Dembe says holding out the phone.

"Print that for me." he tells Borochov. He takes the phone and walks away from everyone.

"My Queen, for curiosity sake, where am I on your speed dial?" he asks with a smirk.

 _"Three."_

"So cruel, who on earth is ahead of me?" he asks.

 _"Chinese takeout.I need your help. I think Trettel abducted his family."_

"What do you know, Lizzie?" he asks watching as Borochov gives Dembe a copy of the memo.

 _"There were two bodies at the wife's house, doubles for her and their daughter. Trettel..he's a lab rat. Someone that would rather be shut away in his lab. I don't want to lose time by looking for bank records trying to find his new identity."_

"Look at his wife and daughter. He's not alone anymore. You have to look to their lives in order to find him. They're the ones that matter. They are his vulnerability." he tells her.

 _"The wife, she's a nurse. A single mom."_

"Which will make her dangerous for Trettel, she'll do anything to keep her child safe."

 _"Annie, the daughter, she's sick. She was recently diagnosed as a diabetic."_

"I can hear you figuring it out from here." he says smiling.

 _"Thank you. I love you."_

"I love you too." he says hanging up.

"Ready to go?" Dembe asks, handing him the memo.

He nods and follows him out.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She reenters the bullpen, going right to Kitty and Aram.

"Annie Trettel has an insulin pump. Pull her medical records." she says.

"What are we looking for?" Kitty asks as the two of them type.

"The make and model of the pump." she tells them.

"How does that help?" Ressler asks confused.

"Some of the new medical devices operate using radio frequencies." Kitty states.

"If I could ping a signal, I may be able to access it, and we could…" Aram says leaving the sentence unfinished.

"Use the pump to locate her." she says feeling hopeful.

"Pump manufactured by Zetak Industries." Kitty says.

"Serial number?" Aram asks.

"Alpha, four, seven, nine, Delta, dash, nine, three, six, Zed." Kitty says not noticing that Ressler and Meera looking at her strange for how she read off the serial.

"Our dad was retired Military." she tells them.

Ressler and Meera nod.

"I got a hit!" Aram exclaims after a little while.

"Where?" Cooper asks.

"It's about seventy miles from here." Aram tells them.

"Contact local law enforcement and have them tie those coordinates to an address. Trettel does not leave that location." Cooper demands as she and Ressler get ready to go.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"Son of a bitch." he mutters when he and Liz get to the location.

The Virginia State police have their SWAT team and snipers in place. All the guns are trained on the front of the store.

Trettel has lined up people that must have been inside the store when all this started.

"Special Agents Ressler and Scott. Suspect's name is Eric Trettel. We're pursuing him as part of a Federal investigation." he tells the guy in charge.

"Yeah, well your guy has barricaded himself inside and has himself multiple humans shields. I've got a team on standby ready to move in and snipers in place. We get a visual, I will take him out."

"Fuck no." Liz scoffs. "He has information that leads to multiple homicides. We need him alive."

While part of him agreed with the trooper about taking Trettel out, he hated that they needed the information the guy had more.

"He's got multiple hostages in there." the trooper exclaims.

"I need to talk to him." Liz says coldly giving the trooper a nearly perfect Reddington glare.

"Then your boss better call my boss, because my orders are to protect those hostages at all costs." the trooper states turning back to look at the store.

He watches as Liz removes her jacket and gun.

"What are you doing?" he asks confused.

"I said I need to talk to him." she says raising her hands and moving forward.

"Agent! Do not step over that perimeter! That's an order!" the trooper yells as she passes him.

"You're not my boss." he hears her say. "Eric! My name is Elizabeth Scott! I'm an agent with the FBI!" Liz yells trying to get Trettel's attention.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" Trettel yells from behind one of the hostages.

"As you can see, I'm unarmed!" Liz turns so Trettel can see that she is telling the truth. "I just want to talk!"

"I'm not talking to anyone until you send me a medic." Trettel yells.

"Who's injured?!"

He pulls out his phone trying to get a medic here faster.

"It's my daughter! She's been shot!" a feminine voice yells out.

He notices Liz freeze, that must be Trettel's wife.

"Shut up! You send a medic! I'll give you names! Hundreds of names of people you think are dead! People you're gonna want to!" Trettel yells.

"Okay...we'll talk but let's get Annie some help! You need to open the door!"

"Not until we have a deal! I want full immunity for what I tell you and you give the three of us WITSEC relocation!"

"I don't have the power to give you that but if you open the door and let us help Annie, I'll get the person with the authority here!" Liz says.

He can hear muted yelling from inside.

 _This is Delta One. I've got the shot._ He hears come over the troopers radio.

"Delta, green light. Take the shot. Take the shot." the trooper says before he can stop him.

Two shoots ring out and Trettel goes down. He rushes in after Liz.

Trettel is dead and his wife is sobbing over her daughter gun in hand.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Good luck with Audrey." she says stepping into the office while Aram is giving Lizzie the list of names that the two of them finally got access into.

"I still don't know what to do." Ressler says sighing.

"Come on, Cap. We both know what we are going to do." she says sitting on the edge of the desk looking down at him.

"Really? What am I going to do?"

"You are going to bite the bullet, tell her that you are happy for her because you still care about her and want her to be happy even if it's not with you." she tells him knowing that things are going to go interesting tonight.

He sits there just looking at her in shock.

"I hate you." he says running a hand over his face.

"Why?"

"Cause I'm going to do exactly that." he says laughing as he stands. He leans down a gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Have fun." she says as he leans away from her and heads out the door.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She's giving Hudson some food when Red walks in.

She frowns when he doesn't remove his jacket.

"You found the Alchemist?" he asks sitting down.

"Yeah. He helped a lot of people disappear." she hands him a copy of the list.

He folds it and puts it into his pocket.

"Somewhere else to be?" she asks sitting down next to him.

"Unfortunately, I have some pressing business to deal with tonight." he says pulling her close to him.

"Do you have time to eat? I have Chinese on the way here, there's enough for you to join me." she asks resting her head on his shoulder.

"I wish I could. If you want I can come back once things are settled, it would be extremely late though." he tells her placing his hand on the underside of his jaw, kissing her softly.

"Please..I don't care, I don't sleep well without you laying next to me." she says whimpering as he kisses her again.

"Raymond, we need to go." Dembe says revealing himself.

"Voyeur." she mutters as Red places a kiss on the inside of her wrist as he stands.

"I'll be back later. Try to sleep." he says softly before turning and leaving.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He looks around nervously as Audrey enters the restaurant.

"Hey." Audrey says joining him.

"Hi." he says swallowing.

"Thank you for coming. I…." Audrey starts.

"Okay, before you say anything. I need to get this out before I am unable too. I want you to be happy, if that means supporting you and…"

"We broke up." Audrey says quickly.

"Him...what?" he stops looking at her not sure if he heard right.

"The engagement, it's on hold. Ever since we started talking again, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you and your friend Kit…"

"Kit? You've talked to her?" he asks a little confused.

"We've met for coffee a couple of times. Her and Liz are good sounding boards. Kit is actually the one that suggested that I put things on hold."

"You met Liz?" he asks.

Audrey nods smiling at him.

He laughs, thinking how huge of a favor he is going to have to owe the two of them for this.

"I want to see where this goes. Do you?" Audrey asks looking at him hopeful.

"Yeah...I'd like that." he says finally breathing easy.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She arrives home just as the Chinese gets there.

"Movie night?" she asks looking at Lizzie laying on the couch searching through Netflix.

"I'm not sure what I am in the mood for." Lizzie says sighing.

She places the cartons on the coffee table and heads into the kitchen grabbing some forks.

"I'm in the mood for something with John Hughes. Any good eighties movie on there?" she asks sitting down.

"I know what we can watch." Lizzie says starting **_Pretty in Pink._**

She laughs as the movie starts.

"What?" Lizzie ask.

"You just watch this movie for him." she mutters.

"What? I still say she should have told the pretty boy and bestie to screw off and hook up with the bad boy." Lizzie says grabbing the carton of fried rice.

"Well, now we know why you prefer Red." she says with a smirk.

"Huh?" Lizzie asks as Hudson jumps up on the couch, laying his head down in her lap.

"Red is the original bad boy." she says laughing.

* * *

 **Red**

He sits in a chair, reading.

The door opens and Meera enters.

"Hello. I'm sure you know why I am here. Oh don't worry, your husband and daughter are fast asleep." he says motioning down the hall with his gun.

Meera nods, "Yes. You're here to kill me ... because I'm the mole."


	12. Chapter 12

**The Cyprus Agency**

 **Lizzie**

She wakes slowly to someone tracing shapes on her back through her nightshirt. She turns her head to find him lying beside her.

"When did you get in?" she asks softly.

"Not that long ago. Hudson was a good guard dog and growled at myself and Dembe when we got here." Red tells her as she moves to her side and places her head on his chest.

"I think Baz is teaching him things when I'm not looking." she says grimacing slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asks as she sits up.

"I think I…." she doesn't finish her sentence just jumps out of bed, rushing to the bathroom.

"Lizzie!" Kitty says rushing in behind her, quickly lifting her hair out of the way as everything she ate comes up.

"Lizzie?" Red says softly holding out a glass of water.

"Sorry. I was feeling better and overate last night." she mutters.

"No...I think it was just the Chinese food. It hasn't tasted right the past few times we ordered." Kitty says holding her stomach.

"Why don't you come join me in bed?" Red says pulling her out of the bathroom and back to her bedroom.

"I'll clean this up." Kitty calls down the hall. "I already planned on disinfecting the house anyway."

He shuts the door behind them as she crawls into the bed. He's slightly confused about Kitty's comment but has more pressing concerns at the moment.

"Under the covers." he says removing the clothes that he threw on when she ran out.

"Ray…." she says softly as he helps her remove the shirt that she was wearing. Leaving her in only a scrap of lace that she calls underwear.

He picks her up and lays her in the bed.

"We are going to sleep. Just sleep." he says closing the curtains to block the rising sun before sliding into bed with her. Letting his skin cool her heated skin.

"I love you." she whispers as he pulls her into his arms, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you, my Queen." he whispers.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She puts in the last load of laundry.

 _"They should be waking soon."_ Dembe states when she enters the kitchen. He is cutting up some fruit for a light snack.

"Good." she says sitting at the table.

 _"You are getting better."_

 _"I'm trying."_ she says turning to the wall adding the information about the girl, Jolene.

"Who is Jolene?" Dembe asks switching back to English as he watches her tack the information up.

"She is one of Tom's hook-ups. The reason I've been doing all this laundry and cleaning like crazy." she says motioning to the living room where the load of clean sheets are folded.

"Explain." Dembe says narrowing his eyes at her.

"This girl, Jolene showed up out of the blue looking for Tom. Seems he brought her here about a month and a half ago, since we weren't here...they..ugh." she shudders and scrunches her nose.

Dembe frowns.

"I told Baz, I thought he told you and Red." she says.

"He hasn't." Dembe says frowning.

"He's probably checking things out first. Since that would mean that Tom was in town without any of us knowing." she justifies, staring at the board.

* * *

 **Red**

He awakens to the feeling of fingers running down his side.

"What are you doing?" he asks huskily open his eyes a crack to see her head resting right next to his hip.

She just looks at him with a mischievous smile and flicks the tip of her tongue against his skin.

He swallows reminding himself that she is sick. "Feeling better?" he asks as her fingers create a trail from his hip down.

"Just needed you." she says moving slowly as she kisses a trail over and moves onto her knees.

"Lizzie….." he hisses as she takes him into her mouth, he reaches down the run his finger in her hair.

"Hands off." she says looking up at him with lust filled eyes.

He smirks and raises his hands to grip the mattress behind him. His eyes roll back in his head as she takes him into her mouth once more, only this time she takes him deeper.

"Lizzie…." he hisses, his head falling back against the pillow.

Her nails scratch up and down the inside of his thighs and he shudders as he feels her tongue flick along him.

Breathing hard, he looks down when he feels her move.

She crawls up his body and straddles him, pressed against her without entry.

She looks at him with those eyes and it is taking everything in him not to grab her hips, lift her and slam into her.

She scratches his chest softly, up the inside of his arms, stretching until she has moved so that she is hovering over him with her hands grasping his.

He feels his erection bounce between their bodies, seeking her heat.

"Is this a better reward?" she whispers in his ear as she kisses his neck. Licking his scar from her stabbing him with a pen.

"Mmmmm." he moans as she moves one hand down between them, wrapping around him and putting just his head slightly inside her.

"I love you." she says as she slowly inches down his length.

He groans and growls as she inches up and down him.

* * *

 **Dembe**

 _"They're awake."_ he says looking at Kitty over the chessboard as the sound of Liz and Raymond's lovemaking begin to fill the house.

Kitty grabs the TV remote and turns up the volume on the random show that she had put on.

 _"You know that will make them try to go louder."_ he remarks trying not to grin.

"Maybe but it will help my sanity." Kitty says with a grin.

* * *

 **Ressler**

Holding a tray of three coffees he knocks on the door. He figures that since it's mid-morning they should be up.

"Captain America?! What are you doing here?" Kit asks.

"Thought I would update you and Liz on...the fact that Audrey and I are trying again." he says.

"Come in. You should have brought more coffee though." she says with a smile that doesn't seem to fully reach her eyes.

He gives her a confused look before entering the living room and tries not to drop the tray.

Red is sitting on the couch with a dog in his lap.

Liz is sitting on the floor going through a box.

Dembe is sitting at the coffee table, chessboard in front of him.

"Donald! Good to see you." Reddington said smiling at him.

He tries not to acknowledge the fact that Reddington is looking less than perfect. He's not in his usual outfit, his dress shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, his vest is unbuttoned and his tie is nowhere to be found.

"What are you doing here?" he asks looking at Red as Kit sits down across from Dembe next to one of the boxes that Liz has in front of her.

"Kitty here has been teaching Dembe to play chess and Lizzie wanted others around when she went through their father's things." Red says nodding at Liz.

"Hey Ress." Liz says finally looking up at him.

He notices that her eyes are red rimmed. Okay but that still doesn't answer why Red is there looking like he lives here, he wonders but doesn't voice the thought.

"I can come back." he says placing the coffee tray down next to the chess board.

"Stay. Distract us with the your news about Audrey." Kit says and he notices that her smile seems a little more genuine.

He looks at Liz and she nods, smiling sadly. He takes off his jacket and sits down on the couch, the dog in Red's lap growls softly at being disturbed.

"Hudson." Red scolds and the dog starts whining as Red scratches its head.

"So I guess I owe the two of you." he asks trying not to think how comfortable Hudson seems with Red.

"What do you mean?" Liz asks wiping a stray tear off her cheek.

"Audrey let me know that the two of you are good sounding boards. So thanks." he says taking his coffee out of the tray.

"So the fiance was kicked to the curb?" Kit asks. "Checkmate." she says to Dembe.

Dembe says something in another language.

He's only a little surprised when Kit smacks Dembe on the arm and Liz makes a comment in what sounds like the same language. He doesn't remember reading anywhere in either of their files that they spoke another language.

"Yeah...Tassels was put on hold so she can figure out if there is still something between us." he says trying to figure out what is going on in front of him. Red and Dembe seem a little too comfortable for this to be the first time that they were there. He knew that the rumors about Red and Liz had been flying around the Post Office since before Garrick showed up but he didn't put any stock into them.

"I'm happy for you, Donald." Red says dislodging the dog and standing.

Liz shakes her head and takes a flat brown bag out of the box next to her. He watches as Red maneuvers around the coffee table. He notices that Red's hand seems to brush against Liz's shoulders as he passes her.

Red goes into the kitchen, takes a glass out of the cabinet and fills it with orange juice from the pitcher that was on the island. He notices what looks like one of their boards on the wall of the dining room, but isn't sure what is on it.

"What's that?" he asks looking at Liz, ignoring that little twinge in his gut.

"Photos." Liz says with a soft smile removing what look like polaroids out of the bag.

He watches the emotions going across Liz's face as she looks at the photos, sadness, joy and shock.

"Lizzie?" Kit says noticing the shocked look on her sister's face.

Liz swallows hard and stands, turning towards the kitchen area.

"Red...could you explain this?" Liz says holding out a photo, her eyes watering.

He stands at the same time as Kit, both of them going to stand by her. He takes the photo out of her hand before Red can even take a step towards Liz.

In the photo is a young Reddington, maybe in his late twenties, with his arm around another man around the same age. Each seem to be in PTs.

"You knew dad?" Kit asks her voice shaky as she leans against him looking at the photo.

Red just nods.

"You...why...why didn't you tell me?" Liz asks.

Red just closes his eyes and clearly lets out a deep breath.

"You let me know that you hired my husband to watch over me but couldn't tell me that you know my father?!" Liz yells as Kit wraps a arm around her.

Hired her husband!

"Lizzie…." Red says opening his eyes looking at Liz with more emotions in his eyes that he could comprehend.

"You've had...plenty of chances to tell me...why?" Liz asks.

"I promised Sam that he would be the one to tell you...but..." Red says.

"Leave..I need you to get out. I can't...not right now." Liz says pulling away from Kit and rushes out of the room.

"Kitty…" Red says looking at her.

Kitty just shakes her head, starting to cry.

He rests his arm around her back and she turns to him, tears falling as she buries her head in his chest.

"I think you need to go." he says as Dembe stands and Kit sobs against him.

He watches as Dembe collects their things, handing Red a jacket and his fedora.

Red looks at Kit and says something in Arabic, he thinks.

"Yeah…" Kit says softly, her voice muffled.

He listens to the door close before he pulls slightly away from Kit.

"Do you want me to go?" he asks.

"You probably should." Kit says when they hear a crash from upstairs.

Quickly they rush upstairs and down the hall.

Liz is standing in the middle of what he assumes is her bedroom, shards of glass from the dresser mirror are all over the floor and dresser.

"Lizzie…" Kit whispers walking carefully over the glass to help Liz onto the unmade bed. The scent of Red's aftershave hits his nose when he walks further into the room. For a moment he tries to figure out why Red would have been in Liz's bedroom and that's when things start to click as he looks around the room.

Liz's unmade bed, clear signs that more than one person slept there. The scent of aftershave and sex are heavy in the room.

A tie and vest rumbled at the end of the bed, almost underneath it.

Red and Dembe looking comfortable downstairs. Red knowing exactly where to collect a glass.

The dog's accepting behavior.

"Damn." he whispers and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. He leans against the wall as he hears the hushed tones of Kit talking to Liz and Liz crying. How long have they been in a relationship or was it just sex, he wonders as he heads back downstairs. He scoffs, knowing that it would never have been just sex to Reddington.

"Captain?" Kit says from the top of the stairs.

"She okay?" he asks standing there trying to figure out what to do.

"Hopefully. I think I need to explain…" Kit starts as she begins walking down the stairs.

"The less I know the better. I sure as hell don't get it but…..You know what, I'm not going to say anything about this." he places both his hands on his hips, swallowing hard.

"Ress…" Liz says appearing at the top of the steps, arms wrapped around her waist.

"Thank you for helping me with Audrey. Just let me process this." he says grabbing his jacket and leaving the house.

Stepping outside, he takes a deep breath and starts down the steps.

"Don!" Kit says coming outside.

"Kit…" he starts as Kit wraps her arms around him in a hug. He wraps his arms around her shoulders, resting his head on the top of her head.

"I don't know why he kept this from us...but Red loves Lizzie." Kit says pulling back. "It just happened….she tried to fight it..but she loves him, too."

"Yeah that may be but you always end up hurting the one you love more than anyone else. I won't say anything...just let me stay in the dark about this..please?" he says as her arms drop from him. He nods at her and heads to his car. He's sliding into his car as he receives a text. He opens it.

 ** _Think we can get together with Kit and Liz soon? I really want to thank them for their help. I'll cook ~Audrey_**

He sighs resting his head on the steering wheel.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

After a long night of crying and turning off her phone, she reluctantly got up in the morning and took an extra long shower. She slowly put on a pair of jeans and comfortable knit off white sweater over a red tank. She played with her pendants as she walked downstairs.

"Lizzie, Dembe called." Kitty says when she enter the kitchen.

Kit was dressed for a run, she wonders how long she was in the shower. Hudson is on the floor looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.

She frowns and takes deep breath.

"What is it?" she asks grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge.

"Dembe didn't think that you would answer if Red called you." Kitty says eating a bowl of cereal.

"I'm pissed that he didn't tell me. It would have been nice to hear stories about dad when he was younger." she says swallowing roughly.

"I can tell you that he's been bitched out by Dembe for keeping that tidbit from us." Kitty says trying to laugh.

"I would rather he be bitched out by Mr. Kaplan." she mutters as she sits down.

"It gets better." Kitty stated.

"How?" she asks.

"Baz and the guys from the gym might have added their two cents." Kitty says with a smirk.

She smiles and laughs softly. "Did Dembe call just to tell us that?"

"I wish. Red has a name. He wants you to meet him." Kitty says.

"Yeah...and I'll have the joy of not strangling my boyfriend." she mutters as Kitty shrugs her shoulders.

* * *

She enters the church and sits down in one of the back rows.

"I wasn't sure that you would come." Red says sitting down next to her.

"I might be upset with you but I will do my job." she says looking forward. She takes a deep breath.

"I was planning on telling you." he says folding his hands in front of him and places his elbows on his knees.

"When?" she asks finally looking at him.

He brings his folding hands to his mouth and closes his eyes, "My scars."

"On your back...what do they…." she starts confused.

He opens his eyes and turns toward her, "Sam and I knew your father, we were all part of the same naval class. Considered him a friend. He met your mother and things went sideways. We helped the four of you hide. One night, your father calls me distraught, the people all of you had been hiding from had found you. I left my wife and daughter, calling Sam before I hightailed it out of the house. The two of us rushed to where we had hidden the four of you. The house was ablaze when we got there. Your mother was in the front yard, dying from a gunshot wound. She demanded that we take her to the hospital...said that she knew that you, Kitty and your father were dead. She had seen all of you shot. We were starting to help her to the car when we heard you screaming and Kitty crying. Pure terror ran through me. Your mother started screaming for us to ignore your cries, that woman knew you were still inside and was going to leave the two you in there while she got away. I left Sam to deal with her and ran inside." he stops, swallowing.

"You...you saved us. You got us out of the house." she says placing her hand on his back.

"Yes." he says placing a hand on her knee.

"Afterwards, I convinced Sam that he should take the two of you in. I knew my wife wouldn't understand my bringing home two little girls. Sam agreed...when I lost my family, Sam demanded that I stay away. To keep you and Kitty safe."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asks tears spilling down her face.

"I wanted you to come to care for me on your own...not because I saved the two of you or that I knew Sam." he says as she places her hand on his face, making him look at her. She wipes the tears that have escaped.

"You stupid man..I started to fall for you when you told me to call you Red." she told him honestly.

He laughs and brushes his lips across hers. "I love you, Lizzie."

"I love you, Raymond." she whispers.

"I promise to tell you everything else but…"

"Right now..I don't care." she whispers against his mouth, tears falling down her face. Thankful that he allowed her in on two things that he had hidden from her, that he knew Sam and he got her and Kitty out of the house. At that moment she didn't care about who her parents were or who they had been hiding from.

They sit there for a few minutes just caressing each other's face until he sighs.

"I did have you come here for a reason. The Cyprus Adoption Agency." he says as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"An adoption agency?" she asks confused.

"Yes," he traces his fingers down her arm until they are holding hands. "Cyprus offers a promise of something no one else can give, perfection. Their clients are ordering from an unlimited genetic menu, however the evil is not in what the agency offers. It's in how they get it done."

"What are they doing?"

"They are in the abduction business. They don't locate children, they steal them."

"How?"

"Moving stolen children requires copious amounts of paperwork." he states.

"A forger?"

"Currently they are using one of the best, I'm a little biased. He's one of mine. Luckily, he has a very vocal angel that doesn't like this type of work." he hands her a folder. "This is the next child Cyprus will deliver. A healthy blue eyed baby boy, two weeks from now."

"A newborn? Who is he really?" she asks.

"I'm not sure but in two weeks time he will become the child of David and Wendy Roland."

* * *

 **Ressler**

He sits at the table with Liz and the couple that thought they were adopting a son in two weeks.

"I'm sorry. Our source told us that there is a large possibility that he was abducted." Liz tells the Rolands.

"What?!" Wendy exclaims.

"Oh god." David looks sick.

"From who?" Wendy sobs out.

"We don't know." he tells the distraught woman.

"He's not going to be our son...there's another mother looking for him?" Wendy asks, tears starting to fall down her face.

"Yes." Liz tells the woman softly.

"What do you need from us?" David asks.

* * *

He warms his hands with his breath as they listen to the Rolands talk with the lawyer from Cyprus.

"Audrey wants to make supper for you, me and Kitty one of these days. Told her I would ask you." he says watching her.

Liz bites her lip nodding, "We would like that."

"So Red hired Tom?" he asks.

"Yeah...not to marry me or anything like that. Tom was suppose to watch over me at a distance. Red fired him when he made contact but someone else hired him and he married me." Liz says.

 _"Someone from our nursing staff will be reaching out to make arrangements for you and the baby to meet. Do you have a question?"_ They hear the lawyer ask.

"So we were right. Something was off with him. Red tell you how he knew your adoptive father?" he asks watching her face.

"Knew him from the Navy, they were in the same class…." Liz tells him quickly.

 _"No. Just...we've heard about birth parents changing their mind at the last minute."_ David asks.

"Mr. Caldwell is looking at little antsy." Liz says nodding across the street.

He can tell that her connection to Red is off limits at this time. While he wants to know what is going on, part of him thinks it might be better if he stays in the dark about things.

"Yeah...but he's asking the things any normal client would ask." he states.

 _"You should absolutely feel free to speak with one of our adoption consultants. Would you ... excuse me? I have to take this phone call."_ Caldwell says standing and leaving the restaurant.

They watch as Caldwell takes out his phone.

 _"I think we have a situation here. They're asking questions about Estonia."_

"Okay, that's good enough for me. Move in!" he says as he and Liz go across the road.

"Theodore Caldwell?" Liz asks showing her badge.

"Can I help you?" Caldwell says looking at them in confusion.

"FBI." he states showing his own badge.

Caldwell looks at them with fear as he drops his phone.

"We need you to come with us." Liz states.

"FBI?! Talk about what? This is a misunderstanding." Caldwell says looking scared and tries to walk away only to be blocked by other agents.

"You can do the right thing here. Tells us about the abduction." Liz says.

"What abduction?!" Caldwell exclaims.

"Help us." Liz says trying to calm the man down as he backs away from them into the street.

"You don't understand." Caldwell says nearly being hit by a car.

"Help us find the real parents." he says holding up his hands as Liz tries to convince him to join them back on the sidewalk.

Caldwell gives a hysterical laugh, "Real parents!" Caldwell moves further into the road. "You have no idea. Cyprus…" a bus hits him.

Liz turns quick and bends over, dry heaving.

* * *

 **Red**

"Well." he asks as Teddy comes toward him.

"She's a tough little Punjab." Brimley states pulling his oxygen tank behind him.

"That's why I called you." he states feeling Dembe glaring at the back of his head.

"I pushed her, she's telling the truth. Girl is cleaner than a duck fart." Brimley states leaving him standing there as he leaves.

"Thank you, Teddy." he says.

"Are you trying to dig yourself into a hole that you just barely got out of?" Dembe asks.

He rolls his eyes as he makes his way to where they are holding Malik.

Last night had felt like hell on earth.

Dembe had refused to speak to him after yelling at him for over an hour on the drive back to the safe house, Baz and his boys had showed up threatening to quit if he didn't make up with their Lady Red or Kitten, even Kate had called him only to tell him that he was an idiot.

He had gotten lucky when Cyprus Agency had fallen into his lap.

He had Dembe call her, seeing her sitting there waiting for him had made him see that he needed to admit one of the things that he had been keeping from her.

He hadn't expected anything, not the feel of her hands on him, her forgiveness or the soft kiss she gave him before she left.

He shakes his head and enter the room, he removes his scarf and jacket. Grabs a chair and sits down directly across from Malik.

Dembe is waiting by the door.

He feels slightly guilty on how run down she looks until the sound of Kitty sobbing in his arms and the gunshot that killed Luli flashes back to him.

"Now, let's talk." he says.

"I already told you everything." Meera states breathing deeply.

"True, but now that you've been vetted, I'm more apt to listen." he states removing his hat and placing it on his knee.

Meera scoffs, "Like I told you the other night, to get in so quickly, Garrick had to have the layout in advance."

"Which he got from you." he says leaning back in his chair.

"No."

"I have an RFP we recovered from the trash of a government contractor, signed by Meera Malik. You leaked classified data in the name of improving security."

"No. I was authorized to start the bidding process."

"By whom?"

Meera swallows hard, "I don't know. Cooper handed me the order. Killing me gets you nothing.

Letting me help you in another story."

"Why should I allow you to help me, Agent Malik?" he asks.

"Someone that I trusted betrayed all of us. Colleagues were killed. Liz had a gun to her head, Ressler nearly lost his leg and Kit….Kit had to see a friend murdered in front of her." Meera says licking her dry lips. "Both of us want the same thing, might be for different reason but we want who did this to pay. I will find out who did it."

"Alright." he says standing and taking the keys out of his pocket and starts releasing her.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"This is bullshit." she mutters under her breath as Lizzie looks at the pile of folders next to her.

Lizzie just shakes her head at the pile. "Twenty seven."

"What was that?" Ressler asks as he and Cooper come over to the two of them.

"In the last three years, there have been twenty seven adoptions done by Cyprus." Lizzie tells him.

"Is that a large amount?" Cooper asks.

"Considering the normal amount of infant adoptions is half that. The thing that really fishy, is not one can be authenticated." she says.

"What do you mean?" Ressler asks.

"We have gone through each file with a fine tooth comb. One child was supposedly born to a birth mother in Lithuania, but we can't find any record of the birth." Lizzie states.

Cooper scoffs, "Well they're smart, they have that going for them. All the trials lead to facts that we can't verify instead of something we can prove is a lie. Get me evidence. Compare the kids Cyprus adopted out to police reports of missing kids."

"I'll call Interpol, check their database. A lot of their missing-persons files have DNA on record." Ressler states.

"Should we start doing DNA on these kids?" she asks looking at the folders.

"It would be a good idea." Cooper says walking off.

She looks up as Meera enters looking worse for wear.

"Everything okay?" she asks when Meera reaches them after speaking to Cooper for a moment.

"Yeah...just had a long night, kid and husband sick." Meera says shrugging her shoulders.

""That sucks." Lizzie says.

"Ready to feel worse." she asks holding out the information to Meera.

"Not really, what's this?" Meera asks.

"The Cyprus Adoption Agency. They abduct kids than adopt them out." she mutters as Aram sits down next to her with his breakfast.

"Okay, I suddenly have this urge to go home and hug my kids." Meera mutters.

She looks up as Lizzie looks green at the sight of Aram's food.

"Lizzie?" she asks as Lizzie covers her mouth and runs out of the room.

"What happened?" Aram asks eating.

"She's getting over a cold and your breakfast turned her stomach." she says getting up and leaving the room before Aram's food turns her stomach.

* * *

 **Red & Lizzie**

"How are you feeling? Kitty said that you still aren't feeling well." he asks as she joins him.

"No, that was Aram's food. I don't know what he was eating but it smelt disgusting." Lizzie states as she wraps her arms around him in a hug.

He rests his hands on the curve of her back. "How's the case?"

"We haven't gotten a single hit on any missing or abducted kids for the last few years. Cyprus has delivered twenty-seven children and not one can be accounted for. They've never been reported missing." Lizzie says resting her head against his shoulder.

He kisses the top of her head, "Cops. Such linear thinking."

"What do you mean?" she asks leaning back to look up at him.

He smirked, brushing his lips over hers.

"Lizzie, not every missing child is reported. There are those that won't or can't go to the police." he states.

"People in your world." she states as something clicks.

"Run the DNA again. Only this time, don't look for an exact match. Look at the relatives." he tells her.

She gives him the softest, sweetest kiss and reluctantly leaves the warmth of his arms.

"I love you." she whispers before turning to leave.

"I know you do, you wouldn't put up with otherwise." he says smiling as she leaves him standing there.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Lizzie, you need to see this." Kitty says poking her head into the office.

"The results in?" she asks as she steps into the bullpen.

"Yeah." Ressler states nodding at Aram.

"What is it?" she asks standing next to Kitty.

"We got five hits." five pictures of young girls appear on the screen. "Theses five women are the mothers to twelve of the twenty seven kids."

"Twelve?" she asks looking at the photos. "Where are they? Prison?"

"No." Kitty says sadly, queuing something up on the screen.

Five missing posters appear.

"These girls are missing. All five of them." Ressler states.

"All pretty, smart, in their early twenties." she tells Cooper as he joins them looking at the screens.

"Each were enrolled in colleges, away from home when they disappeared." Ressler states.

"All but one disappeared without a trace. Their police reports look as if someone copied and pasted them. They are identical. Clean grabs, no witness." Kitty says.

"All but one." she says.

"Which one?" Cooper asks.

"Kate Ellison, twenty like all the others. She goes drinking with a fake ID at a bar near Brown where she's a sophomore. She got taken on the walk home. A witness said they saw her fighting with a man who then pushes her into a van, but no ID was possible." Ressler tells him.

"So, women not children are being taken? What's the timeline?" Cooper asks, like the rest of them slightly confused at the reveal.

"Well, Kate Ellison was taken three years ago." Kitty says typing something out trying to create a visual timeline.

"That can't be right." she says grabbing a folder. "According to the DNA test, two of the children that Kate is the mother of, they're one and two." she states.

"Ummm, I know I'm bad at math but that doesn't seem right." Kitty says.

"She gave birth after she was taken?" Cooper asks.

"She gave birth and got pregnant after she was taken." she says.

"I have a very sick feeling." Kitty says clicking on the computer. "She's not the only one."

"What?!" Cooper asks.

Ressler goes over and reads over Kitty's shoulder.

"Allison Hayes and Michelle Lefferts. The kids matching their DNA were conceived after they were abducted."

"Hopefully that means these women are still alive. Let's find them." Cooper says.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"We found something and I hope you can figure it out." Kit says.

"What's going on?" he asks as he joins her, Liz and Aram at their station.

"This is Ted Caldwell's computer. We found a folder that someone wanted to keep hidden." Aram says opening the folder.

"What they hell? Purchase orders?" he asks confused until Aram opens up the folder.

Picture of college age girls fill the screen.

"This is the only one that had a complete dossier attached." Aram states.

"Medical profile, her interests, grades all the way back to middle school. Photos of her car, walking around with friends." Kit says.

"Charlotte Patterson, in her second year at Georgetown." Liz reads off.

"You think she could be the agency's next target?" Kit asks biting her lip.

"We can't afford to risk it. We need to get her into protective custody." he says.

Cooper nods in agreement.

* * *

 **Washington D.C., Georgetown University**

He and Liz rush up the steps.

"Where is she?" he asks as he looks at Liz.

 _"Aram talked with the University. She is in Regents Hall. She has a class that gets out at five."_ Kit tells them over the com.

They thread their way through the students to get to Regents Hall.

They arrive at a empty classroom.

"We missed them, the professor dismissed the class early. Give me something, Kit Kat." he says.

" _Her car!"_ Aram exclaims.

 _"Thank you Vision. Okay, according to the logs, she swiped her car in at the parking lot right next to the campus. It's still there. You might be able to catch her. Aram is letting security nearby to stop her at the gate just in case."_ Kit tells them.

They rush out of the building and head for the parking garage.

Quickly going through each floor, he finds the car on the second floor.

"Liz…!" he queity calls her attention to where he is. He goes around to the driver's side and notices her bag on the ground.

He notices someone move in the van next to the car. "In the van! Get out!" he calls out taking his gun out of its holster.

The van up and knocks him down before racing away.

"FUCK!" he yells as the van hits his leg.

Liz fires several shots at the van as it gets away.

"Ressler's down!" Liz calls over her com. "Shots fired! There's a kidnapped suspect in a blue van! Virginia plates, eight, one, Sam, echo, Michael, three, six!"

 _"Captain America? You okay?"_ Kit asks.

"Fucking peachy." he mutters as Liz comes and kneels down next to him.

"Kitty, get some crutches ready just in case." Liz says.

"I hate you both." he mutters as he lays his head down on the ground.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Charlotte Patterson never returned to her apartment after class. She was definitely inside that van." she mutters trying not to throw something.

"Aram is coordinating with other agencies. All law enforcement in a a two hundred mile radius has her photo along with with make, model and plate number of the van." Kitty says clenching her hands in front of her.

"Kitty…" she says looking at her.

"I'm only a few years older than these girls, I'm actually happy that I had a drug problem that made me have to drop out of school." Kitty says, her eyes watering.

"Where are we on Mallory?" Cooper asks as he and Ressler join them.

"Waiting on overseas documentation. There isn't a paper trail proving Mallory or anyone besides Caldwell knew what was going on." she all but hisses out.

"Mallory is innocent." Cooper states almost as if in shock.

"Hell no." Kitty says.

Ressler nods in agreement.

"Find me proof! Before another girl is taken!" Cooper yells.

She and Ressler start looking at the information that they have hopeful that they missed something.

"Hello." Kitty says answering the phone. She notices that Kitty seems to pale at whatever is being told to her. "I'll let them know. They'll be there shortly."

"What's going on?" Ressler asks as Kitty writes something down and holds it out to her.

She feels her stomach drop as she reads the paper. She hands it to Ressler as she looks at the missing person poster of Kate Ellison.

* * *

 **Morgue**

"Kate Ellison. Our computer said FBI is looking for her." the medical examiner states coming towards her and Ressler.

"Thanks for calling us." she says breathing through her nose as the smell of death and decay seems to reek off the man.

"Sorry about the smell. It's been a hell of a day." the examiner states.

"It's alright. You have a cause of death?" Ressler asks taking a deep breath.

Luckily it's not just her that the smell is getting too.

"SGW and that is the only things that makes sense. Stay right here in need to get my file." the man says walking away.

She breaths a little easier for the moment.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head. What's up?" Ressler asks.

"Kate Ellison had blond hair and blue eyes. She dies, and a few days later Charlotte Patterson gets taken." she says voicing the awful thought.

"They needed a replacement for the product they lost." Ressler scoffs out, disgust clear in his voice.

"Alright," the examiner says returning to them "Kate Ellison. Abducted at the age of twenty. She was just a little past her twenty third birthday when murdered. So where has she been for three years. I would have to say nowhere."

"What?" she asks confused.

"She had severe muscular atrophy. I don't this girl had stood upright for any length of time for years."

"What would cause that?" Ressler asks.

"She was in an induced coma. I found needle marks on her arm to suggest this and that she was fed through a tube. The thing that takes the fucking cake, she's given birth, multiple times."

"How?" she asks placing a hand on her stomach as a wave a nausea hits her.

"Even though, she was heavily sedated and she's lost a lot of muscle mass, but she's actually in great shape to deliver a child. Her folic acid, her calcium, her iron were all incredibly high. So, whoever's been keeping her, gave her prenatal care."

"Since she was shot, could she have been trying to escape?" she asks.

"I don't see how. She was on some very heavy sedation, a benzodiazepine called Hydroxipam."

"Thanks." she says as her phone starts ringing. She moves away from Ressler and the examiner. "Kitty? What's going on?"

"Aram found something about Owen Mallory."

"What about him?"

"Well, Cooper told us to go through his life. So Aram started on his degree from Harvard."

"He never went, did he?"

"Aram tell her." Kitty says.

"Owen Mallary went to Harvard under a different name." Aram tells her.

"Ressler." she calls getting his attention. "What was the name?"

"Charles Lassiter Jr. He falsified his transcripts, applied as the only son of Charles and Jill Lassiter from Bethesda." Aram tells her.

"Okay, Aram keep digging. Kitty, can you send us the Lassiters' address?"

* * *

They go and visit the Lassiters.

"I know this must be a shock. His name is Owen Mallory." Ressler said as he placed his coffee cup gently on the small table between the couches. "He attended Harvard, claiming to be your son."

"I'm sorry. What did you say his name is now?" Jill Lassiter questioned, nervously tucking a strand of her grey hair behind her ear.

"Now?" she asked noticing the woman's phrasing. "Mrs. Lassiter, do you know this man?"

Mrs. Lassiter's lips thinned as she looked at her husband before finally nodding. "He was our son."

"The boy we knew was named Michael Shaw." Mr. Lassiter took his wife's hand in his and patted it gently with the other that wasn't clasped around hers in a comforting gesture. "And when we met him, he was seven years old and in foster care."

"So you adopted him." she states a little confused.

Mrs. Lassiter nodded slowly. "He was with us for 16 months. Charles and I- I mean, we knew Michael was troubled. But nothing could have prepared us for…."

"T- the therapist called it severe attachment a..and there...there were many therapists, all kinds. We tried. I know how that sounds. But when Michael began threatening to hurt himself an..and us, then the doctors stepped in and felt uh for, uh for Michael to return to foster care."

"I'm so sorry. That must have been very difficult." Ressler stated.

She was glad that he spoke up otherwise she might have snapped at these people. Who gives up on their child because things get tough.

* * *

 **Red**

Dembe pulls up to deserted spot.

Malik gets out of her car and walks over to him.

Malik hands him a file.

"Directive for a mandatory security upgrade. The person who ordered it signed page six."

He looks through, "Thank you Agent Malik. We're done." he says getting back in his car and leaves her there.

* * *

 **Lizzie & Red**

"Where are we going?" she asks as Dembe pulls into a cul-de-sac.

"You are about to meet the nicest dealer this side of Cleveland, My Queen." Red says opening the door and helping her out. He holds her hand, their fingers entwined as they walk through a yard.

He had gotten in late last night and offered to help her track down the drug that had been in Kate Ellison's system. Hydroxipam.

Kitty had offered to talk to Shane, the leader of most of her meetings, but she didn't want to put anyone in the path of temptation.

He takes her inside one of the houses, where a party seems to be taking place.

They make their way back to the kitchen.

"Russell!" he exclaims joyfully.

"Red. What's up fool?" the college age man states coming over and giving Red a hug.

"Smells delicious, Russell." he says going over to the stove where Russell had been.

"Mescaline steam bath. You want a hit?" Russell asks his eyes going to their joined hands as Red takes a whiff.

"Oh God," he inhales deeply and Lizzie squeezes his hand, "If only. The last time I played around with that, I ended up naked in the desert with a bag of Navajo tacos." he laughs.

"When was that?" she asks running her thumb along his.

"When you told that idiot 'I do'." he tells her honestly.

"Who's the fox?" Russell asks tilting his head at her as if just noticing that she was there.

"My wife." he says automatically.

Russell's eyes go wide.

"Now, Russell this isn't a social visit. I came for your professional opinion. I need to know about Hydroxipam." he says when it clicks in what he just said.

He watches as Russell shakes his head a few times, "Sorry man if I knew you got hitched I would have made something special. Hydroxipam. I know all about it."

"What can you tell me?" he asks as she moves closer until her front is nearly pressed against his back.

"Nobody wants it. Uh, it's supposed to be a sleep aid, but it's crazy powerful, too powerful. The half-life's like 100 hours."

"I see." he says. "Where can I get it?"

"Trust me you don't want it." Russell states.

She was actually glad for a moment that there was still some honor among thieves.

"Russell...trust me, I do." he tells the boy.

"Alright," Russell grabs a tablet from near him. "I don't think most pharmacies even stock it but I have access to their inventories. Here we go, only three pharmacies carry it. Out of those only eight doctors have written scripts for it in the last year."

Noticing something over Red's shoulder on the screen, "What's this code?" she asks pointing to it.

"That's what kind of doctor wrote the prescription. Looks like seven are sleep therapists, and one ... is a fertility doctor?" Russell starts giggling at that.

* * *

 **Ressler**

 **Galatea Fertility Clinic**

He and Liz each flash their badge as the approach the receptionist.

"FBI." he states.

"We need to speak with Doctor Gideon Hadley." Liz states.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hadley is in a meeting." the receptionist tells them.

"Interrupt it." he states.

The receptionist nods and leaves them standing there.

"Does Audrey still want to get together for dinner?" Liz asks.

"Yeah." he says nodding.

"Kitty and I are free tomorrow night but why don't we go to this little out of the way place that I was introduced too so Audrey doesn't have to cook." Liz suggests.

"Alright, I'll see what Audrey says." he says as the receptionist rejoins them.

"I'm so sorry. Dr. Hadley actually stepped out for the afternoon." the man tells them.

"You said he was in a meeting." he states.

"I was under the impression that he was. It seems he stepped out for a bit. You are welcome to wait." they are told.

Liz smirks and for a moment he's not sure what she is doing until she moves around the receptionist to go into the facility.

He notices the man grabbing for a gun under the desk and quickly disarms him.

"FInd Hadley." he tells her as he handcuffs the man.

Once he is sure that the receptionist is secure, he makes a quick call for backup before entering the clinic himself.

When a gun goes off, he shoots reacting.

He finds that he has shot the doctor, after making sure that the gun is far away from the man and continues his search.

He finds a restricted area and slowly makes his way in.

Hearing the sound of fighting, he quickens his pace.

Mallory is standing over Liz and a girl from one of the beds, gun in hand.

He shoots, getting Mallory in the arm.

"Liz?" he calls making his way over.

"I'm okay. Help me." Liz calls out trying to maneuver without hurting the girl, that is clearly far along in pregnancy.

* * *

"Twenty two...twenty two victims all alive. Including Charlotte Patterson." Cooper says as teams are removing the gurneys that the girls were on from the room.

All the girls were being relocated to local hospitals, to slowly wake them up. Aram and Kitty were have the fun job of calling families to let them know that their daughter or sister was alive..but pregnant.

"We got all of them." he states.

"Except Kate Ellison." Liz says softly as she rests her hand on her stomach as a girl in probably her ninth month passes them.

"The two of you solved multiple missing-persons reports in one case. And the mothers of every one of those twenty-seven kids have been accounted for." Cooper tells them.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She washes out her mouth. She had gotten home and only had seconds to spare before she was rushing upstairs, getting sick once again.

The thought that all those girls had been impregnated by Owen Mallory sickened her.

"Lizzie?" Kitty asks standing by the doorway of the bathroom.

"I'm okay." she says turning to look at her.

"Don't be mad at me….but this case got me thinking...and when I was shopping something clicked." Kitty said with her hands behind her.

"What's up?" she asks.

"When is your period due?" Kitty asks.

"Kitty…" she scoffs for a moment, "It's due…." she stops really thinking.

"When Lizzie?" Kitty asks entering the bathroom.

"It's not possible." she says placing a hand on her stomach. "I was told it would take a miracle." her voice breaks slightly.

Kitty holds out a pregnancy test, "Let's find out."

* * *

 **Red**

He entered a darkened den and started a record player, then sat himself comfortably in a stuffed chair.

He lifted the needle from the record as an older woman in a white satin nightgown walked into the room, having come to investigate the sudden music.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" Diane Fowler asked angrily.

"I know, Diane." he stated solemnly.

"What?" the woman questioned walking slowly into the room and sitting in the wing back chair across from him.

"You signed a directive ordering a mandatory security upgrade at the post office. It's how you got the blueprints into enemy hands. You're the dirty rat, Diane."

"I'm calling the police." Diane started to rise from her seat.

He chuckled darkly and aimed his gun at her, "No, you're not. Now sit your ass down."

Diane did as she was told. "I signed that directive for your protection."

He just chuckled.

"If you think Fitch or any of his people are going to let you get away with this, you're more arrogant than I thought. We came into the post office to make a point. If you come after me, if you so much as lay a finger on me..."

"You talk too much." he stated bored before shooting her in the stomach.

With a gasp, Diane slumped against the back of her chair. "You can't shoot me!"

"Why not? You're not one of the good guys. Fitch and I have an agreement. He goes about his business. I go about mine. You and I don't have an agreement." he states.

"I know the truth, Raymond. About what really happened to your family." Diane rasps out. "Don't you want to know the truth?"

He swallows hard, "More than anything in the world. But if you know the truth, Diane, then somebody else does, too."

Closing his eyes, he shoots her three more times.

For a moment, he allows himself to think about Carla and Jennifer.

Standing, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and dials Kate.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She and Kitty stare at the test.

Smiling and crying as they keep checking the results.

"You're going to be a mommy." Kitty whispers.

"Yeah….I am." she breathes.

* * *

 **Red**

"I'm sorry, Kate. It's messier than I planned." he says turning as Mr. Kaplan joins him.

"I'm used to cleaning up after you. Also, Dembe has informed me that you...what's the expression, pulled your head out of your ass."

He laughs and nods.

"Go home to your Queen. I'll take care of this." Kate states.

He grabs his hat and leaves Kate to her work.


	13. Chapter 13

**Madeline Pratt**

 **Red**

He removes his jacket as Hudson greets him and Dembe. The smell of fettuccine alfredo and baked chicken fill the house. He places his fedora on the hook near the door.

"Hey...you joining us for supper?" Lizzie asks smiling at him as he enters the living room and gives her a light kiss, she hides something on the couch from him.

"Who cooked?" he asks reaching to move the blanket to see what she covered up.

"Hey Red." Kitty greets from the kitchen as she places containers on the table.

"We ordered from that place that you told me about." Lizzie says standing.

"Ahhh..what's the special occasion?" he asks as Dembe joins Kitty in the kitchen.

Lizzie smiles softly as she wraps her arms around him.

Kitty enters the living room but stands by the doorway, watching them, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Lizzie?" he asks pulling back to look at her.

"Come eat." Lizzie says leading him into the dining room.

He releases her hand and turns back to what she covered. "What are you hiding?"

"Raymond…" Lizzie huffs coming after him as he pulls the blanket off a simple box, his name written on top.

"Dammit, Red….you couldn't wait. She wanted to surprise you." Kitty huffs, shaking her head.

He watches as Kitty pulls out her phone and points it at him.

"Open your gift." Lizzie says shaking her head with a smile on her face.

He sits down and places the box in his lap. He removed the lid and felt his heart stop. Excitement, hope and fear run through his veins.

"Raymond?" Lizzie says softly sitting down next to him, placing her hand on his wrist.

Lying inside the box is a folded onesie with the words _**'Surprise! You're Going To Be a Dad!'**_ on it. He lifts it out and sees the positive pregnancy test in a baggie plus a small red pawn piece pendant.

"When….?" he breathes out.

"I took the test today." Lizzie tells him.

He turns to her and pulls her into his lap, knocking the box to the floor. Kissing her for all that he is worth.

"Come with me to take Hudson for a walk." he hears Kitty say.

He leans his head against Lizzie, he hears Kitty, Dembe and Hudson leave.

"Are you sure?" he sighs as his eyes start to water. He's scared and excited but...happy.

"I still need to see a doctor...but yeah, I'm sure." she whispers, tears going down her face. "Are you….?"

"I'm happy...my Queen..I am so happy. Just scared out of my mind." he says with a small laugh, resting his hand on her stomach. "We're having a baby."

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Kitty? Is it true?" Dembe asks as they walk.

She knows that Dembe had noticed the contents of the box as they left.

"I think I bought out the entire aisle of tests after the first one came back positive. Had to be sure. She still needs to see a doc but yeah...Red and Lizzie are going to be parents." she says with a soft smile.

 _"A blessed miracle."_ Dembe says.

She stops turning to look at him. "He's going to be okay with this, right?"

Dembe smiles and nods. "He loves her."

"I know...but Jennifer? Everything that's going on?" she asks thinking about the little girl that Red lost years ago.

Dembe nods in understanding, "A part of him will always love and miss the child he lost. He will love his son or daughter with Lizzie just as much. You and Lizzie are always protected. The boys will take numbers on who gets to protect the three of you." Dembe tells her.

"Oh my God...I'm gonna be an aunt." she says biting her lip as tears start to form in her eyes.

Dembe takes Hudson's leash from her and wraps his arms around her in a hug.

* * *

 **Red**

He is working on a crossword when Dembe enters the room a few hours later.

There had been a call and Dembe went to deal with it.

Lizzie has her head in his lap while his hand is making small circles on her still flat stomach.

He had convinced her to see a doctor that he trusted in the morning. They would know for sure if she was or not very soon.

Kitty is lying on the floor, Hudson curled against her as **_Alice in Wonderland_** plays on the TV.

"Raymond." Dembe says holding out an envelope.

Kitty pauses the movie from her spot on the floor.

"What's going on?" Kitty asked rising up the her elbows.

"One of Raymond's boxes has been cleaned out." Dembe states as he takes the envelope out of his hand.

"What's this?" Lizzie asks sitting up so that she is right against him, her head on his shoulder and his hand had slipped to the outside of her thigh.

"This was left behind." Dembe states, it's clear in his voice that he is annoyed.

He opens the envelope and pulls out an invitation.

 ** _Windsor Lounge, 10 pm - M_**

"Who's M?" Lizzie asks.

He closes his eyes hoping he would never have deal with this woman again.

Dembe scoffs, shaking his head.

"Someone that…." he's not sure how to word it.

"An ex?" Kitty asks looking at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Of sorts." he says debating between letting it go or getting his stuff back.

"Go deal with her." Lizzie says sighing. "I was starting to pass out anyway, will you be joining me later or will I see you in the morning at the appointment?"

He looks at her closely, actually surprised not to see any jealousy or hurt in her eyes. He had been worried for a moment.

"I'm not sure how long this will take or what she wants." he tells her.

"Dembe will be with you the entire time?" Lizzie asks.

"Of course." Dembe states.

He nods, rubbing her thigh lightly.

"I trust you. I know that if you are not sleeping next to me there is a good reason." Lizzie says kissing the side of his neck softly.

"I'll stay until you are asleep." he tells her standing and pulling her to her feet.

Kitty smiles up at them as they pass.

"Just remember that our appointment is at nine in the morning." Kitty calls as he leads Lizzie up to the bedroom.

"Join me in the shower?" Lizzie says softly.

"Thought you would never ask." he says huskily, leading them into the bathroom.

* * *

 **The Windsor Lounge**

"She's here." Dembe states nodding at the bar.

He approaches her slowly, joining her at the bar.

"How did you get the key?" he asks placing his fedora on the bar.

"Maczu, last winter. Drink?" Madeline asks motioning to the bartender.

"No, thank you." he tells the bartender. "I don't plan on staying long. What do you want?" he asks coldly.

Madeline looks at him in confusion. He knows that he is looking at her with great disdain but he doesn't want to be here and honestly could care less what she wants but she is on his list.

"You stood me up in Florence." Madeline states, swallowing and giving him a flirty smile that normally would have charmed him.

He rolls his eyes, "Those documents are worth over ten million."

"I had to get your attention somehow. I have a proposition." Madeline says moving to place her hand on his knee. "Maybe we should move this discussion to my room."

He scoffs and stands. "That corner looks private enough to me." he says moving to a secluded table away from everyone.

Madeline looks over at Dembe in confusion.

Dembe nods over to the table.

"My room would be better." Madeline says sitting down.

"I would like to get this done, Madeline. I have someone waiting for me." he tells her.

Madeline's eyes go cold for a moment before she swallows and softly begins telling him why she needed to see him.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"You ready for this?" Kitty asks as they get out of the cab.

Dembe and Red are waiting for them in front of the doctor's building.

She smiles at Red, "More than ready." she says as Red reaches her, holding out his hand.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

She and Kitty sit in the back of Red's car, staring at the ultrasound photos.

"So tiny." Kitty whispers, her finger stroking the photo.

She laughs softly, smiling at Red, "Eight weeks."

Kitty stops for a moment, counting on her fingers, "Man, Red, you had to have knocked her up on the first time." Kitty says with a laugh.

She had been watching Red's face all morning during the appointment. She moves away from Kitty and sits next to him.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Just remembering my Queen, old ghosts is all." he tells her softly pulling her close and dropping a light kiss on her lips.

"Kitty...bring them over." she says resting her head on his shoulder.

Kitty moves to the other side of Red as Dembe turns the car on and starts driving.

The three of them sit there, just looking at the kidney bean sized shape on the photos.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He steps around Dembe, entering the safe house.

"She's breathtakingly unattractive, but she's worth over forty million." Red is telling Liz and Kitty as he enters the living room.

"That's a Vermeer? It's considered a masterpiece?" Kitty exclaims.

All three of them are staring at something, he turns and notices a painting with an extremely unattractive woman in it.

"I have no words." he says bringing attention that he was there.

"Donald..glad you could make it, join us." Red says motioning to one of the couches.

He sits down in an armchair across from Red while Liz and Kit sit on the couch.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"I was wondering if any of you have any idea how much the government has spent on signals intelligence in the past year?" Red asks, smirking a little.

Kit and Liz shake their heads no.

"Not really." he says.

"This country has become a nation of eavesdroppers, comes in handy for me. However, all of you have forgotten that what matters most is human intelligence, alliances, relationships, seduction." Red sighs almost apologetically. "Madeline Pratt is a master at…"

"Madeline Pratt?" Liz says with a little hiss on m of the woman's name.

"Yes..Madeline." Red says nodding at Liz.

"Who is Madeline Pratt?" Kit asks.

"She's a thief and master of...certain talents." Red states before he can say anything.

"Ever taken her up on any of them?" Liz asks crossing her arms right under her breasts.

He tries not to laugh at the look of fear that seems to cross Red's face. He thinks it's a little funny that Red is asking one lover to capture another. He still doesn't see the appeal of destroying her career for the man but as long as everyone can do their jobs, he will stay out of it. Maybe Kitty is right and he has a little more Winter Soldier than Captain America in him at times.

"What does she have that you want?" he asks hoping to starve the fireworks from forming.

"Nothing." Red says looking at Liz who looks at him with a soft smile.

"So how do we find her?" he asks.

"Finding her is easy. Catching her on the other hand, is difficult. Luckily, she has asked me to help her plan a heist." Red says.

"For what?" Liz asks.

"The effigy of Atargatis." Red states pulling out a book from next to him and hands it to Kit and Liz.

"What's the story with it?" he asks knowing that the story in books isn't the real story.

"The Kungur Six." Kit says removing a newspaper from the book. "Who are the Kungur Six?"

"The Kungur Six. It's said that when the Cold War was ending, its owner hid a list inside the effigy, a list of Soviet spies and they are still active. It's claimed they are responsible for some of the most damaging intelligence breaches in the past thirty years."

"Getting the effigy..means getting your hands on them." Liz states.

"Finding them would be the holy grail of US counterintelligence." Red states.

* * *

 **Red**

 **The Post Office**

"Excuse me." he hears Cooper say as he is looking at the photos of Charlene and their kids.

"Harold!" he says with a smile as he turns toward the man.

"Sit down." Cooper tells him entering the office.

"No. I'm fine, thank you though." he says coming around the desk, tapping his fedora against his knee. "I was just looking at photos of your family. How old are your kids now?"

"Where is Diane Fowler?" Cooper asks ignoring his question.

"I have no idea. I'm a little confused on why you even care." he says looking innocent as Lizzie and Kitty enter the office behind Meera.

"You really expect me to believe that you choose today to walk in when she vanished last night and think there isn't a connection?" Cooper seethes.

He looks over at Meera, ignoring the knowing look from Lizzie. "Has Diane gone missing? Perhaps you should be speaking with Agent Malik. She's here at the woman's request."

Meera just narrows her eyes at him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Lizzie pale a little.

"Lizzie, you should sit down. You are still getting over you cold." he says as Kitty helps her sit down.

Dembe enters the office, giving Lizzie a bottle of water and one of her prenatals.

Meera watches her take the pill closely, luckily not seeing exactly what it is.

"You made it clear that you still thought that we had a mole, that our house wasn't clean. You all but said that you wouldn't step foot into this facility until the mole was captured or dead." Cooper exclaims in frustration.

He frowns, "Don't put words in my mouth, Harold."

"Is our house clean?" Meera asks.

He clucks his tongue, tilting his head at the woman, "Guess you'll just have to ask Diane Fowler that when you find her."

"When we find her or what has happened to her, and we will find out that you had anything to do with it. You're gonna spend the rest of your life in a box. Understood?" Cooper stated solemnly, stepping towards him clearly in an effort to intimidate him.

"You smell nice. Something new?" he says looking up at Cooper who stood almost a head taller than him and smiled.

"Did you hear me?" Cooper barked.

He smirked and took a step back, "Madeline Pratt."

"What about her?" Cooper growls.

* * *

Once again they are in the bullpen.

Kitty has put up pictures on the screens.

"This is the Madeline Pratt that you know of, politically active, influential and a good citizen. What you don't is the Madeline Pratt that I tolerate." he turns looking at them. Lizzie is smiling at him, hand resting on her stomach. "Six million in diamonds stolen from a De Beers outpost in the Congo. Security fibers used in printing the Czech koruna, taken from a mint in Prague and used to produce counterfeit bank notes. The Madeline Pratt you know ... fosters relationships with incredibly powerful people. The one you don't….exploits those relationships in ways that impact national security."

"And of course there isn't any evidence, so we can't arrest her." Ressler snarks.

"That's why you should thank me. I have an opportunity, which brings us to the effigy. Pratt believes that her profile is too high to attempt to take it herself, so she reached out and asked for my help."

Kitty snorts causing Ressler to look at her strange.

"Where is it?" Cooper asks.

Kitty does a little typing and brings something up behind him. He turns to see a photo of the effigy and the Syrian Embassy.

"Secure wing in the Syrian Embassy….at the present time. There is a good chance that it will be repatriated at any time, so Madeline is rushed. She's trying to make a grab that should normally take months to plan."

"Do the Syrians know what's inside the effigy?" Cooper asks.

"It would be in Damascus if they did." Meera states.

"I would have to take a guess that Madeline has a Russian patron, since it's the Russians who want to protect the identities of the Kungur Six."

Cooper scoffs, "I am not sanctioning an op in support of you stealing anything, let alone something that could affect national security."

He laughs, "I'm flattered that you think I would be up to it. Thieving is not my strong suit. However, we have a couple aces up our sleeves. Isn't that right, girls?" he says looking at Kitty and Lizzie.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"What is he talking about? Is there something that we should know?" Cooper asks her and Kitty.

"No, sir." she says looking at her sister in slight warning.

Kitty shakes her head 'no'.

"You know Red seems to know a lot about you. I mean your father's criminal record never showed up in your background, was yours missing as well?" Ressler asks full of snark.

"We don't have a criminal records." she states.

"Why? Never got caught?" Ressler asks with a smirk that he hides when Cooper glances at him.

"Yes. I believe our work speaks for itself. Sir, we can do this." she says luckily able to keep the smirk off her face.

"Fine...but you need to understand that when you do this, you will be on foreign soil. It something goes sideways, we can't protect you."

* * *

"Nice place, Raymond." Madeline says as she enters the living room.

"It works." she says smirking at the woman. She smirks internally when the older woman falters for a moment. She is sitting right next to Red, who has his arm draped across her lap so that his hand is caressing the outside of her thigh.

"Madeline Pratt...really Red, I don't see it." Kitty snarks from her seat across from the two of them.

"What's this?" Madeline asks, clearly trying to hide her jealousy.

Kitty was the one that decided that she and Red shouldn't hide their relationship in front of Madeline, claimed it might throw the woman off a little. At first she hadn't thought it was the way to go, now she was pleased that she let Kitty and Red talk her into it.

"I would like you to meet Lizzie and Kat. I have been trying unsuccessfully to convince Lizzie to do the theft for you." Red states.

"Why is she here?" Madeline says looking at Kitty.

"I was helping my sister with wedding plans and also all operations need my approval. Red, I love you but I agree with Liz, helping an ex lover is pushing it." Kitty says standing.

She loves the moment that Madeline's eyes go wide at the remark and has hide her face on Red's shoulder to cover up her laughter.

"Kat...Madeline here was never a lover. Were you?" Red asks looking at Madeline with zero emotion on his face.

"No...I wasn't. Prove to me why I should hire." Madeline asks sitting down.

"Raymond, I don't audition. I thought we were doing her a favor." she says full of snark as she stands, brushing her lips across his. She and Kitty brush past Madeline in a way to leave.

"Wait! Maybe I was too hasty. The job, it's yours." Madeline exclaims looking worried that the two of them will leave.

"I don't want the job. Call somebody who does." she says turning back to the room and throwing Madeline's phone at her.

"When did you get my phone?!" Madeline exclaims. "I'll pay you double and have to owe you a favor."

She exchanges a smile with Kitty and the two of them return back to the living room.

"My Queen, I'm suddenly very worried about the two of you getting along." Red states looking at her.

* * *

Once they had come to agreement, it was work of mere moments for Madeline to grab the blueprints of the embassy and for them to begin strategizing.

"I can make sure that your name will be on the guests list. The statue's in a UL-approved Class I vault situated in a strong room one level below the ground floor." Madeline tells her.

"How long will it take to breach?" she asks looking over the blueprints.

"An auto-dialer can circumvent the electronic keypad in two, maybe three minutes tops. I'll supply equipment that can get through a metal detector." Madeline says.

"What about physical security?" Kitty asks from her seat, tapping information on her tablet.

"There are two guards stationed outside that strong room, armed and mobile. They do a hall sweep every 20 minutes. When they take their patrol at 9:20, you'll have ten minutes."

She thought for a moment before nodding, "How do I get in?"

"Dirar Marwan, embassy official. He has the security credentials you'll need to get to the structure's classified lower level."

Kitty looks at her under her lashes, she knows that everything they are saying is being recorded and sent to Aram outside in the van.

"He takes a coffee break every day at four, wears his ID on the lapel of his jacket, easy enough to unclip in a standard brush pass. This lift needs to be round trip, not one way. Can't raise any flags." Madeline says looking at her.

"I have someone that can clone his badge before he returns to the embassy." she says knowing that between the two of them, Kitty and Aram can have it down in seconds. "How will you return his badge?"

"I won't. You will, in a second brush pass before he re–enters the building." Madeline states with a smirk.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She knew that Lizzie was leaning against the van, waiting.

"So what's she like?" Aram asks as he sets up the program to clone the card.

"Who?" she asks working on the SIM card that Lizzie palmed from Madeline's phone.

"Madeline Pratt." Aram states.

"Stuck up. Thinks she can get any man she wants just by flipping her hair. Really annoyed that Red wouldn't take the bait." she replies.

Lizzie enters right at that moment, holding out the badge to Aram.

"Here we go." Aram says with glee.

"You good?" Lizzie asks.

She reaches into her bag and holds out a water bottle, which Lizzie takes instantly.

"I need ninety seconds." Aram says.

"How is going with the SIM card?" Lizzie asks as she takes a sip of water.

"We will know who she talks to and when, soon." she says.

"Huh?" Aram says confused.

"Lizzie palmed Pratt's phone and got her SIM card." she tells him.

"You know how to palm a phone?" Aram asked, hesitantly looking at Lizzie.

 _"He's coming. We have about 15 seconds. Hurry."_ Meera's voice came over the small speaker in the van.

 _"How are we doing on Marwan's ID?"_ Ressler's voice came over next.

"I need like thirty more seconds." Aram says.

 _"He's on the move."_ Meera's voice came over slightly anxious.

"I need the badge now, Aram." Lizzie stated impatiently.

 _"Somebody stall him."_ Meera directs.

She hears the door to the front of the van open and slam shut.

Ressler must have volunteered as tribute.

"We are a go." Aram muttered, hitting a few more buttons before handing Lizzie the ID.

Lizzie jumps out of the van.

"She knows how to palm a phone?!" Aram asked again in slight shock.

She giggles at his expression, "We both do."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She pulls the new red dress up her body.

"Oh my...you are enchanting. Want to forget everything and stay in?" Red says entering the closet, practical dressed himself.

"Would love to. Zip me up." she says with a giggle. "You look good in a tux."

"Thank you." he says kissing her shoulder as he zips her up. "We have a slight problem."

"What's wrong?" she asks turning to face him as he rest his hands on her hips, his thumb stroking her waist softly.

"I had a few of my people run a background on the guest list. Rasil Kalif works as a cultural attache in the Embassy. Madeline has been seeing him for a while.

"How is that a problem?" she ask tying his tie for him.

"Cultural attaché is Kalif's cover. Truth is he's been recruited as an asset by the Russian Bratva, he's a mobster. My guess is ... he's the one who hired Madeline to steal the effigy. And I have good feeling that soon she will be walking into the embassy as his date." he says.

"I thought her profile was too high? That she wasn't going?" she asks confused.

"Yeah...should have known she would do something like this." he says moving away from her to re-enter the bedroom.

Barefoot, she follows after him.

Kitty knock on the open doorway, a pair of red heels in her hands, "I fixed the heel."

"Thank you, Kitty Kat." Red says taking the shoes.

"So, I was checking the paperwork Baz dropped off and why in sam hill did Pratt hire us if she's planning on stealing it herself?" Kitty asks leaning against the wall.

Red rolls his eyes, putting on his tuxedo jacket.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing?" Kitty asks in shock, staring as she puts on her shoes.

"I'm her plus one." Red says smiling down at her.

"I already tried to talk him out of it." she says trying to calm Kitty.

"There's a digital net over the embassy. Aram and I can't access the surveillance feeds. The two of you will be going onto foreign soil to steal a priceless artifact with no backup!" Kitty exclaims.

"She has me. I am not going to let anything happen to her." Red says.

"He has me. I plan on our son or daughter meeting his or her father." she says standing, her heels putting her eye level with him.

He places his hand on her stomach, smiling softly.

* * *

 **Red**

 **The Syrian Embassy**

"There's Madeline." Lizzie says nodding subtly in the woman's direction. "Think she beat us to it?"

"Stay on task. We have two minutes to access the security door." he says taking her hand and leading her onto the dance floor. "Shall we?" he says with a smirk.

Lizzie took a deep breath and smiled at him, allowing him to lead.

"Is it bad that I'm having a little fun with this?" she asks him softly.

"You are a part of my world tonight, embrace it, my Queen." he says with a chuckle. "How are you feeling?" His eyes motioned towards her stomach in obvious question.

"We're fine. Don't worry." she tells him, her eyes softening with pure love.

"I can't help but worry. Constantly."

They danced for a few moments, slowly making their way across the floor to where they needed to be. "Now Lizzie, you're not a cop tonight. You're a criminal. And you're gonna be fine. Just be yourself. The security door is behind you." He murmured close to her ear.

"Okay, I'm gonna need a distraction."

"Be yourself." he propels her in a spin toward the buffet table, directly into the path of a waiter holding a tray of champagne.

In the immediate commotion, no one notices her slink off into the nearby hallway, towards the security door.  
Once he was sure that she had gotten through the door, he turned and made his way over to Madeline and her date, Rasil Kalif.

"Mind if I cut in?" He asked, though he had already grasped Madeline's wrist and spun her away before Kalif could answer. "What are you doing here, Madeline?" he asks making sure that the woman can't get away from him.

"What are you doing here, Red?" Madeline asks with a smirk, sure of what she thinks he is going to say.

"I came to watch over my Queen." he says enjoying the crestfallen look that flashes across Madeline's face before she recovers.

"That girl. Tell me about her." Madeline asks coldly.

He smirks, "What? Want to know if she's better than you in everything?"

Madeline swallows, "Why her?"

"Fate."

"She's a little young for you."

"Age is relative." he says ignoring that little dig in his stomach that hits him everything that thought crosses his mind.

"Last summer, what happened in Florence? What happened to you? You left me alone. I deserve an explanation."

"Sorry you'll never get one." he tells her honestly.

"What happened in Florence?" Madeline questioned, a bit more forcefully.

An alarm began blaring.

Kalif comes running over and grabbed Madeline's hand. "Come! I need to get you to the safe room. All embassy dignitaries will head to the safe room."

As they rushed off, he stood calmly looking around him.

A guard walked passed him, taking the opportunity in front of him, he pinches the man on the neck and sending him to sleep. Taking the man's gun from his holster and quickly fired two shots into the air, causing the crowd of people around them to scream and stampede for the nearby exits. He makes sure to dump the gun into a champagne chiller.

He heads down a stairwell and moves to the side as a group of guards pass him. He noticed a straggler and stops him as he tries to pass. "Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! There was a man. He had a gun. The man had a gun."

When the guard looks to where he is pointing, he takes him in a choke hold and holds it until the man stops flailing, stealing his pistol and holstering it in the waist of his trousers.

Once he got to the bottom of the stairwell he, turns down the hallway and finds Lizzie, restrained in a chair with a guard standing guard over her.

"There you are! What the hell happened to you?! You just leave me stranded with that awful Algerian?! He's been hitting on me for 20 minutes!" he shouts at her rather… flamboyantly.

"Sir, this is a secure area!" The guard shouts at him.

"Well, not secure enough if you ask me, sister. We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for that troublemaker." he says, sweeping his hand out towards the hallway before placing his hands on his hips and cocking said hips to the side saucily. "The things I do for this one." He points to Lizzie who is staring up at him, stunned and more than likely trying not to burst out laughing. "Gallivanting around the globe for your little assignations with you–know–hmm–hmm, carrying her furs and bikinis as if I wouldn't rather be back in Dutchess County with my shelties. Hey, don't take anything for granted!" he leans forward, getting into her face. "Everything you have was bought and paid for by your boyfriend! Do you have any idea whose horn this tramp is blowing? Let's just say it starts with Bashar and ends with Assad, gassing you faster than a Sunni." he stood back up and addressed the guard. "So, let's get her out of the hot seat and into a limo... good God! Crumbs up!" he shouted, pointing disgustedly at the man's waist.

"...What?" The poor guard questioned, looking down at himself.

"Your cummerbund. Pleats up! It's upside down!" he moves towards the guardas if to fix it and when the guard looked down, punches him, knocking him out.

"Aah! God, that hurts! Ohh!" he groans, clutching his hand as he walked over to the guard, swiping the keys from him.  
"What the hell was that?" Lizzie asks, unable to keep in a small giggle.

"I don't know. It just felt so right in the moment." he sighed trying not to laugh himself. He quickly finds the needed key and uncuffs her, enabling her to stand up.

"Where's Pratt?" she asks.

"Gone."

"And the effigy?" she says tilting her head at him.

"Gone with her." he says sighing.

* * *

 **Kitty**

 **The Post Office**

"Where the hell is Reddington?" Cooper demands coming towards her.

"Ummm…" she stutters not sure what to say.

"He's trying to locate Pratt." Lizzie says coming up behind her, Lizzie had changed out of the dress and into jeans with a loose top but her head and make up were still down.

Cooper scoffs, "For all we know he set this up with Pratt to get the identities of those spies."

"Trust me. The only reason Red is dealing with Pratt is so that she would have to owe him." she snarks out.

"Well, the Syrians know the safe was opened as a distraction, and they're still trying to account for exactly who was in that panic room with the effigy. They're attributing the whole heist to Reddington." Cooper states clearly annoyed.

"Pratt knew where the effigy was all along. We were her distraction. She knew that I would set off the alarm and used Red's notoriety to get the Syrians to think that he took it."

"We have something." Ressler says as he and Meera join them.

"The SIM card that Liz took from Pratt's phone. Over the last two weeks she has made several calls to a mosque outside of Arlington." Meera tells them.

"Looks like Homeland has a person of interest. A cleric name Firas Ashear." Ressler says putting his hand on the back of her chair, she looked behind her to see that he was trying to take pressure off his leg.

"What's his connection?" Lizzie asks watching Ressler closely.

"We're not sure. But the biggest red flag is his family's connection to The People's Liberation Alliance." Ressler answered.  
"You okay?" she asks.

Ressler nods.

"Apparently, Ashear's father is a local warlord, with financial ties to the group." Meera continued for him.

Cooper nodded, shutting the folder that Meera had handed him and slapping it on the table. "Find him. Bring him in for questioning."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Heading to find Ashear, she and Ressler stepped into the elevator. She was in the process of leaning against the wall, hoping to close her eyes for a moment, when her phone started ringing.

Trying hard not to whine, she pulled the phone out of her pocket, confused by the unknown number, she answered thinking it was Red or one of the boys.

"Hello?" she asks hesitantly.

 _"Liz! Please don't hang up!"_ Tom says over the line.

"Tom? How the hell did you get this number?! Actually, why the fuck are you calling me?" she demanded hissing into the phone. After everything with Garrick, Kaplan had set her and Kitty up with new phones and unlisted numbers.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ressler straightened.

 _"That doesn't matter, listen. Please, I just… I want to see you."_

"Well, I don't want to see you. You know why don't you give Jolene a call." she snarks hanging up. With the push of a few buttons, she blocked any more calls from that number. She had a feeling that he had used a burner phone but it still felt good. She was going to have to tell Red about this. She knew that he wasn't going to be happy about this.

"You want me to rough him up for you?" Ressler asked gently.

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I think you'll have to wait in line. I think Red and Kitty are trying to decide who gets a shot at him first."

* * *

They had finished interrogating Firas Ashear and all of them immediately jumped to start researching everything he'd told them.

The early morning hours now found the whole team standing in the Post Office once more.

She'd had to escape to the bathroom twice in the last two hours. Apparently the baby didn't care what time it was, he or she were playing on her bladder. Luckily, Kitty had been able to help her blame it on her coffee, even though she wasn't drinking any.

"The CIA sanctioned a covert op to raid the compound of Al Hakam Ashear in early December 1983. The Agency received credible intelligence that Ashear had met with a former KGB agent to purchase information." Cooper stated, taping pictures and scraps of paper onto the evidence boards.

"What kind of information?" Ressler asked before stifling a yawn. She watched as Kitty placed another cup of coffee in front of him.

She had hated that they had to reschedule their dinner with Audrey, luckily the girl had understood. Both her and Kitty liked Captain America's hopeful girlfriend, it was kind of nice to have another girl besides Meera to talk to, maybe when things have settled she'll set up a girl night, inviting Meera, Audrey and Ellie.

"Ashear paid three million for the location of the Kungur Six, which, according to the son's story, he hid in the base of the statue." Meera answered.

"So, it appears the six aren't people." Cooper sighed, taking off his reading glasses and rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asks while stretching her neck.

"During the Cold War, there were rumors that Russia was able to hide several nuclear weapons in America."

"Those weren't rumors." Ressler stated though it came out as more of a question.

"Pratt was hired to steal the effigy because inside it are directions to those weapons. The Kungur Six are not Russian agents." Cooper continued.

"They're nuclear bombs. Hidden all across the country." she said looking at Kitty horrified.

* * *

 **Red**

He came up alongside Madeline as she is walking down the street, grasping her elbow firmly in his hand and propelling her forward, forcing her into a brisk trot in her heels. "Tell me about the coordinates."

"What coordinates?" Madeline tries to tug her arm away from him. "Stop it."

He keeps a good hold of her arm.

"I had a little talk with Rasil. We had a few laughs, compared notes about you. He told me all about that delightful thing you do with a trouser belt which is something I am glad I never experienced. The coordinates." he growls.

Madeline chuckled darkly. "It's over. You were played. Go home."

"The coordinates." he demands again stopping them.

"Are your feelings hurt? Good. Now you know how I felt when you stood me up in Florence. I come here hoping you finally got the job out of your system only to find you draping and making a fool of yourself over a girl young enough to be your daughter!" Madeline exclaims.

His eyes narrow at her but before he can reply, two men come up behind them and her feels the familiar sting of a taser.

* * *

He's not sure how long he has been lying there before he drags himself to a wall near Madeline's cell. He had heard her calling out to him for what feels like hours.

"The Syrians aren't getting the effigy back. It's gone. I've already sold it to the Russians." Madeline stated, shaking her head hopelessly.

"I ran out of gas." he murmured, licking his dry lips and resting his head against the wall.

"Huh?" Madeline says looking at him strange.

"I was so excited to get home, I didn't even bother to look. My head was just, I ran out of gas."

"What are you talking about?" Madeline questioned.

He thinks that he must seem delirious from whatever torture he received.

"It was Christmas Eve. I pulled off to the side of the road. Seemed like it'd been snowing for days. No traffic. No cars to come help. Just me and a car full of gifts. It was such a long time ago. I'm not even sure how far I walked." he closed his eyes, chuckling lowly at the distant memory. "It was so still. Just cold and white. The whole time, all I could think about was them in our house. The warm light in the windows, the smoke from the chimney. The sound of my daughter at the piano. The smell of the tree and the fire, oyster stew on the stove. I was so upset to think that I'd ruined Christmas for them, being late, leaving the gifts in the car. But the closer I got, the more I realized how funny the whole thing was, how much they'd love the story, daddy running out of gas, how every Christmas they'd get such joy from telling that story at my expense." he smiled faintly.

Madeline looks at him, lost and confused.

He felt his smile diminish and his voice starts to get hard, "And then, finally I got home. I walked… I walked through the door. And there was just blood. All I saw was blood. Everywhere. To this day at times I can smell...that clean scent of hers, feel her small arms wrapping around my neck as she hugs me goodnight."

"Wha…?" Madeline whispers, tears going down her face.

He looks up her, about to tell her more when two of the guards unlocked the door to his cell and dragged him out, his legs trailing behind him limply.

"No, don't. Please, please. No, please! Stop! Please stop! Please stop! Please come back! I'll tell you what you want to know!" Madeline cried out.

* * *

He waits just out of sight as Madeline writes down the information.

"Now, I gave you what you wanted. Where is he?" Madeline demands.

The guard smirked as he came up to him, taking the pad. He glances at it before handing it off to Dembe.

"You son of a bitch…" Madeline hisses.

He nods at Dembe, who takes out his phone to call Lizzie. Dembe walks away as another man brings him his hat and jacket.

"You'll never get to it in time. Damn you, Reddington! Damn you, Raymond! You let me out of here right now, you son of a bitch! Was it true? That story about your family? Was any of it true?" Madeline cries as he walks to the cell door. He arches an eyebrow as he places his fedora on his head.

It had been the truth. It had hurt so damn much to dredge up those memories. He wanted nothing more to go home, hold Lizzie and start making plans for their baby. Unfortunately, he knew it was the best thing, the pain of those memories were a necessary evil to get Madeline right where he wanted her.

"Why that child? Why not me?" Madeline asks, glaring at him.

"I love her. She is the Queen to my King." he says with a smirk before turning, leaving her there screaming after him to let her out.

* * *

 **The Post Office**

"ERT examined the statue. There was nothing inside, no coordinates. No papers of any kind, nothing on Kalif or any of his men." Cooper stated angrily, pacing his office.

"It appears Madeline sent us on a good old–fashioned snipe hunt." he said shaking his head a little disappointed.

"I sent a team to the warehouse where you said we could find Pratt. She was gone. Where is she?" Cooper questioned, stepping towards him.

"Let's talk about the effigy." he said moving away from Cooper and sitting down.

"Why? The idea that it actually contained anything was obviously a myth." Cooper said narrowing his eyes at him and sitting down behind his desk.

"Or maybe Madeline double-crossed the Russians and kept the coordinates to the nukes for herself and led you to believe it was all a myth." he claims with a grin.

Cooper reared back, blowing air forcefully out of his nose. "You have them."

"While you were chasing the effigy, I was dealing with Madeline. In a moment of …weakness, she gave up the coordinates."

"You knew there was nothing inside the effigy when you sent us after Kalif." Cooper says narrowing his eyes at him.

"I thought you might have a passing interest in rounding up some Russian mobsters." he says shrugging.

Cooper huffed. "The coordinates. Where are they?"

"Relax, Harold. I have no use for rusty Russian firecrackers left over from the sixties."

Cooper's brow raised. "You want the effigy"

He smiled brightly at Cooper. "And you want the bombs. How about a trade?"

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Case file on Pratt." Ressler murmured, setting the now rather thick file down on her desk and walking back over to his own, gathering his stuff.

"You taking off already?" she asked quietly watching as Kitty was collecting her belongs as well.

Ressler gave a small grin. "Yeah. Audrey wants all of us to meet for dinner, to make up for last night."

She smiles softly and starts cleaning up her stuff.

"Hey? What's up? Tom bothering you again?" Ressler asks as Kitty enters the office.

"We heading out?" Kitty asks.

She laughed wetly, ashamed to realize she was tearing up. Damn hormones. Was it too early to blame hormones? Screw it, she was going to blame the hormones.

"Lizzie?" Kitty asks going around Ressler and kneeling at her feet.

"Tom hasn't bugged me since I blocked his number. No..um…" she laughs exchanging a look with Kitty.

Kitty smiles and nods.

"What's up?" Ressler asks watching closely.

"I'm uh…I'm pregnant." she says with a smile.

"Holy crap…." Ressler says in utter shock.

A crash outside the door gets all of their attention, Aram is standing there grinning like a fool. "You're pregnant?!" Aram asks.

"Vision..shhh, come in." Kitty says as Ressler pulls Aram into the office, shutting the door.

"Yes..I am. Eight weeks." she said with a smile, standing.

Aram grins wide, comes over and gives her a hug.

"Is….he? Does he know?" Ressler asks nodding out the window of the office to where Red and Dembe are coming out of Cooper's office.

"He knows…" she says sighing and nodding.

"Alright..let's go meet up with Audrey. Looks like we have something to celebrate. Aram, you want to come?" Ressler asks.

"Yeah..just let me grab my stuff." Aram says moving to leave the office.

"Vision..no telling anyone else, okay?" Kitty asks.

"Got it." Aram says grinning as he leaves the office.

"You happy?" Ressler asks.

"Happy doesn't even begin to cover it." she says laughing softly.

Kitty pulls her phone out of her pocket and hands it over to her.

 ** _Congrats, little Queen. You are about to have your own little pawn. Sam would be over the moon. ~ Sebastian_**

She places a hand over her stomach, happy. She looks out her window to see Red tilt his fedora at her, smile on his face. He raises a hand to his lips and nods at her. She nods knowing that she will see him at home, later.

"Ready to go?" Ressler asks.

"Yeah...I am." she says smiling at him, Aram and Kitty. Their small family is slowly growing.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Judge**

 **Kitty**

She sits next to Aram, each of them laughing softly at Audrey's reaction to Lizzie's announcement.

"I didn't even know you were seeing someone. You never said anything when we would meet for coffee." Audrey says once the dumbfounded look on her face begins to fade. "How long have been seeing….?"

"Raymond." she supplies with a smirk trying not to laugh when Captain America and Vision choke on their drinks.

"We've been together about three months." Lizzie says looking at her, shaking her head, clearly trying not to laugh.

"That sounds about right." she says taking a sip of her drink.

"Man...Red doesn't wait around does he?" Ressler remarked taking another sip of his beer.

Lizzie just smiled.

"She went after him." she says with a grin at the look on both of the boys.

"And how long have you two been seeing each other?" Audrey asks looking at her and Aram while Ressler struggles not to choke on his beer.

"We're not…" she starts.

"She's like my little sister…" Aram states.

"They're not together." Ressler says a little louder than he probably should have.

Of course they all said this at the same time.

"Well...umm.." Audrey laughs awkwardly looking at each of them.

"Aram is like my brother. We don't see each other that way." she clarifies softly.

"Hmm, guess that means I need to find someone to set both of you up with." Audrey says with a giggle.

"I'm sorry." Ressler says with a grimace looking at her and Aram.

"Audrey..please don't.." she says with a grin.

"Fine." Audrey says with a grin, "So why didn't Raymond join us?"

"Ummm…" she, Aram, Ressler and Lizzie all look at each other.

"Red ...ummm... he... ummm…." Aram stutters looking at her completely lost.

"Red? I thought his name is Raymond?" Audrey says confused looking at each of them.

She laughs softly, "Red is his nickname. He likes having Lizzie to himself when they're together, so we steal her whenever we can."

Lizzie rolls her eyes at that even though it is partially true.

"Well, guess we take what we can get. So how far along are you?" Audrey asks with a soft laugh looking back at Lizzie.

"Eight weeks." Lizzie says with a soft smile.

"I agree with Don, your Red definitely doesn't wait around." Audrey says with a grin.

She and Lizzie nod in agreement.

"You are going to have to tell me all about him on our next coffee date...oh..you can't have coffee." Audrey exclaims.

"I'll be fine with tea." Lizzie says laughing.

"This is nice." Aram says quietly to her.

"What?" she asks not noticing that Audrey is staring at them with a cheshire grin.

"Spending time with family." Aram says.

She rests her head on his shoulder in agreement.

* * *

 **Red**

He stares at the board on the wall in the dining room.

"I checked with Baz, Tom was not in town when this Jolene girl claims that he was with her. He checked, she's calling herself Jolene Parker and was recently hired at the same school that Keen had been at." Dembe says coming to stand next to him.

"Did anyone get a photo of her?" he asks.

"It's her." Dembe says handing him a photo of Lucy Brooks aka Jolene talking to Kitty outside the house.

"Call the Cowboy, I need to meet with him." he says glaring at the photo of the young woman. "What is she playing at?" he mutters.

"We have leftovers!" Kitty calls out as her and Lizzie enter the house.

"Hey you." Lizzie says walking around Kitty to stand in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He smiles and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly to kiss her.

"Have fun?" he asks against her mouth.

Lizzie nods and buries her head in his neck.

"So, Lizzie told Captain America and Vision about the baby. We also told Audrey but she doesn't know who you are, so it's safe." Kitty says loading the fridge with their leftovers.

"What's going on?" Lizzie asks looking at him and Dembe.

"That girl, Jolene? Have you seen her any place else?" he asks looking over at Kitty.

"No..why?" Kitty asks.

He nods at Dembe, who shows Kitty the obit about Lucy Brooks. "I knew her as Lucy Brooks. She tried to get close and when I refused to allow that to happen, she faked her death."

"Could she work for whoever hired Tom?" Lizzie asks taking the newspaper to look at it. "I've seen her."

"Where?" Dembe asks quickly, taking out his phone.

"She was at the coffee shop when we met with Audrey, a couple weeks ago." Lizzie says looking at Kitty.

He and Dembe exchange a look. He needs to know what the hell is going on now.

* * *

Slowly he makes his way across the street in front of the apartment to the black Cadillac. He smirks at the man in the driver's seat before getting in.

"What year is this?" he asks the Cowboy, who he know hates him with a passion.

"Picture." the Cowboy says holding out a hand.

Internally, he rolls his eyes and hands over the Lucy Brooks obit.

"She's alive?" Cowboy asks.

"Calling herself Jolene Parker." he tells him. "This is different than normal."

The Cowboy rolls his eyes, "Do I tell you how to do you job? Don't tell me how to do mine. I'll find her, don't worry."

He smirks, "I don't need you to find her. I have a good idea where the slippery little devil is. I want to know where she's been. Safe houses, aliases...I want to know it all. She faked her death to get away from me and is now circling my Queen. I want to know everything about what she has been doing." he says, he waits a breath to annoy the Cowboy only to have someone knock on his window.

Lizzie is standing there, with just one of his jackets over her lounge pants and tank top that she threw on when they woke up.

He rolls down the window.

"You should be inside." he states, he looks in the side mirror, noticing Baz standing there pretty much laughing his ass off.

"I was just wondering why you are doing this out here when we have a nice warm house right there." she says pointing at the house with the hand that isn't holding a travel mug. Kitty is standing in the doorway with a knit sweater wrapped around her and jumping to keep warm.

"Lizzie…" he sighs.

"Here, I wasn't sure how you like it so I kept it black but there's room if you want to add milk or something if you would like to come in." Lizzie says leaning in to hand the Cowboy the mug.

He was trying to hide his smirk at the Cowboy looking awestruck at Lizzie.

"Thank you." The Cowboy says taking the mug from her.

"I'll be waiting." he says getting out of the car and pulling Lizzie into him. "Let's get you inside, my Queen." he says softly.

The Cowboy watched as the man he hated walked the young woman he had called Lizzie into one of the houses where another young girl was waiting for them. One of the guard dogs nodded at him as he turned the car on and drove off.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He looks at the address one more time before going inside only to be stopped just inside the door.

"Who are you?" a Colossus wannabe asks.

"Ressler. I was told to come here." he says standing straighter.

The man cocks his head to the side before smirking, "Ahh..Captain America. Go on in." Colossus says getting out of his way.

He walks inside. Only to find himself inside a very spacious gym, where multiple groups are training. He looks around and sees Kitty is fighting one on one with a man twice her size, hand to hand. And winning.

"Donald..glad you could make it." Red says from a seat on the sidelines.

He turns and notices Liz doing yoga with Dembe.

"Ummm...what is this place?" he asks as Colossus takes the place of Kitty's challenger.

Kitty just smirks at Colossus as another man gives her training weapons.

"A gym...of sorts." Red says, his eyes on Liz.

"Yeah...congrats…" he mutters.

"Hmmmm." Red says taking his eyes off Liz to look at him.

"On the baby. Congrats. I think Liz can do better though." he says sitting down next to Red.

He notices that Red has a good spot. He can watch Lizzie doing yoga moves and see Kitty winning against Colossus.

"Have you seen the paper today?" Red asks handing him the paper.

"No. What about it?" he asks taking a sip of his coffee.

"Mark Hastings, U.S. Attorney from Maryland. Twelve years ago, he indicted the head of the Reynoso Cartel. A week later, he went missing." Red says as he reads the article.

"I remember that. We assumed it was a retribution killing." he states as Liz joins them.

"It appears the Bureau was wrong." Liz says as Red hands her a water bottle and towel.

He watches as Liz leans down and quickly kisses Red.

"Not in front of me, please. I want some deniability if this is found out." he says with a straight face, knowing that there is zero way this will ever be found out if Red has anything to do about it.

An exclamation of excitement distracts whatever Red or Liz were going to say. He looks over to see Kitty standing over Colossus with a grin on her face.

"Rook! Could you please go easy on my guys!?" an older man yells from the office in the corner.

"Sorry Baz!" Kitty yells with a grin and looks over towards where he, Red and Liz are. "Captain America! When did you get here?!" she exclaims coming towards them after handing off the weapons to someone nearby.

"Kitty, Red is trying to give us a name on the list." Liz says with a grin once Kitty reaches them.

"Thank you, my Queen. Where was I... oh yes, Mark Hasting was found wandering some random road in Pennsylvania a few days ago." Red says taking Liz's hand in his and kissing it.

"Could he have been in hiding?" Kitty asks taking his coffee out of his hand and taking a sip.

"Hey!" he says with a laugh taking it back. "Get your own."

"Children." Liz says with glaring look perfect of any mother.

"Damn….only eight weeks and already has the Mom look down." he mutters taking a sip of his coffee.

Red smirks, "I have a feeling that Hastings was held captive but not by the Reynoso Cartel. It's said that he is too traumatized to speak. But if what I believe about Hastings is true, if he has been held captive all these years. Then it would confirm that the myth is true. The Judge is real."

"The Judge?" he, Liz and Kitty asked.

"Every culture has a justice myth, an avenging angel who exacts retribution for the weak and innocent. Golem for the Jews, Tu Po for the Chinese." Red told them.

"We have the Judge?" Kitty asks looking over at him.

He shrugged.

"The Judge is a prisoner's last resort. When all the legal avenues have been exhausted and there is no hope left, you can make a final plea." Red states.

"What kind of plea?" Liz asks.

"Prisoners can state their case, argue for their innocence. They can explain why they were convicted unfairly and who is responsible."

"Where does this demand go?" he asks.

"Supposedly, it's passed among inmates until it finally reaches some book depository at the Federal Penitentiary in Monroe, Virginia."

"What happens after that?" Kitty asks, stealing his coffee again.

He just rolls his eyes and lets her have it.

"Nobody knows for sure. No one has ever met him or at least admitting to meeting him. Somehow, the appeals make their way to him. He reviews the case, and if he thinks you're innocent, he evens the score. If freedom or life were taken unfairly, he demands the same in return….an eye for an eye." Red states.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Reddington says Mark Hastings was held captive?" Cooper questioned as the team stood in the bullpen.

She nodded, "Yes but not by Reynoso. He thinks it might've been payback for a different case Hastings prosecuted."

Kitty does some typing and brings something up on the screen overhead.

"Leonard Debs, sentenced to 14 years for armed robbery when he was 28." Ressler says passing a folder to Cooper.

She, Ressler and Kitty had come right to the Post Office after leaving the gym and got all the information they would need for a briefing.

"So according to the Judge, he was innocent?" Meera asks.

"A witness allegedly came forward at the time saying Debs wasn't at the scene. Hastings never told the defense." Kitty says.

"Debs got out two months ago. He served twelve years of his fourteen year sentence." she says.

"Hastings took twelve years away from Leonard Debs, so The Judge evened the score." Cooper said solemnly.

She nodded and Kitty brought more things up on screen, "According to Red there have been others. A New York homicide detective, an appellate court judge, two prosecutors all missing and presumed dead, all involved in cases in which some impropriety was alleged, which made them targets for The Judge."

"An underground criminal court of appeals." Cooper said in slight disbelief.

"There's reason to believe that the appeals are being processed through a book depository run by a prison–literacy project." she said nodding at Aram.

"Kitty and I pulled the files of everyone who worked at the depository and it's possible that we found something." Aram then brought another picture onto the screen. "Frank Gordon, a civilian now, but he's a convicted killer. He now works for a prison–literacy project at their book depository in Monroe, Virginia."

"So he takes the letters from the returned books, screens them for The Judge." Ressler stated, clearly thinking aloud.

"Find him. And see if you can get anything out of him." Cooper nodded decisively before walking toward his office.

* * *

Slowly, she looked around at the book depository which was overflowing with old, torn, beaten books. Many of the boxes of books were stacked in piles on the floor and tables around the area, gathering dust.

"Frank's been with us for almost six years now, ever since the court reversed his conviction." the employee that had greeted her and Ressler was saying as the woman lead them through area.

"Does his job require he interact with prisoners?" Ressler asked.

"Well, n...not directly, but he does respond to their requests. Our program is one of the many that provides inmates with reading materials." the woman stated as she flicked a light switch at the top of a stairwell and led them down into the basement. "Frank?" The woman called out.

Ressler looked back at her. "Who else knows Frank stays here?" he asked the woman brusquely, looking around the room.

"Is he in some kind of trouble?" the woman asked nervously.

She frowned slightly at the woman's tone.

"What's back there?" Ressler questioned, walking into a small area where a bare bones bedroom was situated and motioned to an area that was gated.

"Oh, I..I really feel we should wait for Frank to come back. This is his space. It's ..." the woman stutters out.

Ressler rummaged through the desk and finds a flashlight, flicking it on, he nodded at her. "Stay here." he murmurs before walking into the gated area.

She stops the woman next to her from saying anything.

"Hello? Mr. Gordon? FBI. We'd like to talk to you." Ressler calls out before the sound of thuds emanated from the dark.

"What is it?" she calls out, slightly worried since she can't see anything.

"Stay where you are." Ressler shouted back.

She let out a huff in frustration. "I'm still capable of protecting your ass." she whispers and rolling her eyes.

The clear sound of fighting makes her start forward. "Ressler? You okay? Ressler!" she runs into the area, luckily grabbing the other flashlight and un-holstered her gun.

"Ress-" her cry was cut off as someone knocked into her as they ran past. She fired off two shots at the person fleeing but between the disorientation and the darkness, she knew she missed.

* * *

She walks past the employee giving her statement.

"Aram is setting up checkpoints on all major roads and highways. Kitty sent Frank Gordon's photo to State and Federal." she says joining Ressler at Gordon's desk, which is now covered with sheets of paper.

"You're not gonna believe this. Pleas from inmates, all handwritten from prisons all over the country – ADX, Marion, Pelican Bay. And look at this. Alan Ray Rifkin. It's a case folder – research, evidence. Frank was reviewing trial transcripts for The Judge." Ressler barely looked up from what he was reading as he spoke.

"Let's bring it back to the office...have Kitty and Aram help us go through it." she states.

Ressler nods, both of them wanting to get away from that basement.

* * *

"Alan Ray Rifkin. American college student, dropped out, joined the army, deployed to Afghanistan. In 2003, he was tried and convicted as an enemy combatant. Seems he fought alongside the Taliban. He's scheduled for execution tomorrow. According to the charges, Rifkin and a few dozen Taliban fighters raided an Afghan village, killing dozens of civilians. At his trial, Rifkin's lawyers claimed it was friendly fire, that the American military destroyed the village, from the air, mistaking it for a Taliban outpost. Of course the military denied it." Kitty reads looking up at her and Ressler from a spot on the floor of their office.

"So the Judge thinks Rifkin is innocent." Ressler says reading over Kitty's shoulder.

"But why…." she starts.

"Guys…" Aram says poking his head in. "I just found that the investigating officer was….it was Cooper."

* * *

 **Kitty**

"I doubt this is a coincidence. Reddington gives you the Judge and I just happen to be next on the lunatic's list?" Cooper says.

"We should take it seriously." Lizzie says.

She, Lizzie, Meera and Cap were all in Cooper's office.

Cooper scoffs, "No we don't. The federal prosecutor on the case is Tom Connolly. His reputation speaks for itself. As should mine."

"Rifkin admitted to treason." Meera states.

"That's right. We're not saying that he's innocent but if you or Connolly are in danger…" Lizzie says.

"What does the Judge think we missed?" Cooper asks.

"Aram is currently going through the case file with a fine tooth comb to see if we can find what they think they could have found." she says stepping forward. Like the others, she thinks there has to be a mistake somewhere that Gordon found.

"Alright. Do what you need to do...but I'm telling you, that man is guilty. I will not lose any sleep watching him pay the ultimate price for his sins." Cooper states.

They all nod and leave the office.

"Lizzie...maybe someone should go see Rifkin...get any idea at what he might have told the Judge. It would help narrow the focus on going over the file." she says when they all reach Aram in the bullpen.

"You two go." Meera says pointing at her and Lizzie.

"Me?" she asks confused.

"She's right. You have a way of getting things out of people." Cap says with a nod.

"Let's go." Lizzie says nodding at her.

* * *

She follows behind Lizzie into the prison interview room.

Rifkin and an older woman are waiting for them.

"Mr. Rifkin, I am Agent Scott and this is Kit. We are with the FBI." Lizzie said as they sit down at the table.

"Well..I'd stand and applaud…." Rifkin states holding up his hands that were chained to the table.

"Be nice, Alan." the older woman says.

"I thought Mr. Rifkin had decided against representation?" she asks.

"He has. All of his legal claims have been exhausted." the woman states.

"And you are?" Lizzie asks looking at the woman in slight confusion.

"Oh, Ruth Kipling…." Ruth starts.

"The Amnesty Collective." she says in slight surprise. She had read up on all other known legal ways that the Judge could have gotten a hold of prisoners information.

"Yes. Death row inmates are allowed a designated spiritual adviser." Ruth says with a serene smile.

Lizzie nods in understanding.

"Why are you here? I'm not stupid enough to think that you are reconsidering my case." Rifkin says snarky.

"We know you're not stupid." she says leaning forward.

"We're here to see how angry you. Are you angry enough to want revenge? We know that you filed a demand for justice with the Judge." Lizzie says watching Rifkin closely.

"All his legal appeals have been exhausted." Ruth states.

"Not the legal ones." she says noticing that Rifkin isn't looking them in the eye.

"Since when does FBI listen to prison yard fairy tails? It's nothing but a rumor, the Judge doesn't exist. All I will say...I have a sacred duty to battle the evil that put me here." Rifkin all but hisses at them.

"Who put you here?" Lizzie asks leaning forward.

"You must have read his file before coming here. You know that he confessed." Ruth stated.

"Not of my own free will." Rifkin mutters.

"Are you saying that you were coerced?" Lizzie asks.

"I'm saying that I was beaten." Rifkin snarls.

"By who?" she asks hoping that he is annoyed enough that he might give up the name or names.

"That FBI guy...Harold Cooper, he beat me under the orders of Assistant US Attorney Thomas Connolly." Rifkin hisses out.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"Okay….so he is claimed that Cooper beat him on behalf of Connolly?" he asks completely confused by what Kitty is telling him and Meera.

"That's what he said." Liz states.

"Okay so what was found that makes the Judge thinks that this has any truth? That Rifkin is innocent?" he asks.

"Aram and I worked the timeline that you found...and there is a problem." Meera says looking at Aram.

"When Rifkin was caught, Cooper had him flown from Bagram to Andrews Air Force Base in Virginia. From the Base, the transport took them to federal holding in Alexandria." Aram tells them.

"This trip should only take thirty minutes." Meera states.

"At trial, the Marshal supervising the transport said it arrived on schedule." he says reading the transcript.

"We found an event log. It shows the actual time that the Marshal swiped in." Aram says showing him, Liz and Kitty.

"It took two and a half hours." Meera says.

"Why wasn't this shown at trial?" he asks taking the file from Meera as Liz and Kitty look over his shoulder.

"A different log was shown..one that matched the thirty minute timeline." Aram says.

He flips through the folder until he finds the two logs.

"One is fake." Kitty sates.

"We need to find the Marshal. Ask him directly what happened." Liz states.

He nods in agreement.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"William Munson?" she calls out as she hurries across the parking lot towards the man leaving the building.

"Yes." the man says when she reaches him.

"Agent Scott, FBI. I'm looking into a case that you are connected too. Alan Ray Rifkin?" she says watching as the man's demeanor changes instantly.

"Get in." Munson looks around. "I don't want people that I work with knowing I'm involved with this."

She looks behinds her and gives Baz a signal so that he knows what she is doing before getting into the car. Baz had told her and Red point blank that he would be following her and Kitty anytime they weren't with Red.

"Mr. Munson, I'm running out of time.." she starts hoping to get him to open up.

"I know, it's the reason I came forward." Munson states.

"Came forward? To whom?" she asks confused knowing there isn't a thing in the file about this.

"That group that fights the death penalty...the um… the Amnesty Collective." Munson told her.

She takes a deep breath a little nervous that there was zero knowledge about Munson reaching out to the Collective. "You were at Andrews with Cooper when Rifkin landed. You drove?"

"Not just me and Cooper. That prosecutor, Connolly...he was waiting."

"Connolly was with you?" she asks.

"Yeah..and he was pissed. Ranting the case was assigned to him. Kept saying there wasn't enough to convict. That he was going up and nothing was going to make him lose a high profile case."

"You heard this?"

Munson nods, "Yeah. He said that he needed a confession. He told Cooper to….he told him to take Rifkin to one of the hangers and not let him out until he confessed."

"Did...did you see Cooper do this?" she stutters slightly.

"Oh yeah...He beat him. I swapped out the entry log, made the timeline make sense, and I had Rifkin treated in his cell instead of the infirmary to avoid any record. Everyone said he was betraying our country. But now, if he's really gonna die." Munson looks out the window and sighs.

* * *

 **Red**

Dembe hands him the phone. It's the Cowboy.

"What do you have?" he asks.

 _"I found a flash drive and some stuff that this girl has. Found her passports. She's been in Havana, Port-au-Prince and Miami. She has various aliases. Also according to this she wasn't anywhere near your girl's place when she claimed to be."_

He cracks his neck, "What is this girl doing?" he wonders out loud.

 _"Red, best I can tell she's tracking someone when she's not causing trouble. She either has lots of little targets or one big one."_

"And circling Lizzie….." he mutters.

 _"You or someone connected to Lizzie could be of interest."_

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Sir...ummm…" she says entering the office and shutting the door behind her. Part of her knows that she should let Lizzie or Captain do this but she's hoping that he'll talk to her since technically she isn't an agent.

"Kit, this isn't a good time." Cooper says not even looking at her.

She swallows, "Sir. We need to talk about the Rifkin case."

"I already told your sister everything I have to say on the subject." Cooper says finally looking up and past her.

She looks behind her and notices that someone else is in the room.

"I didn't realize that you had company." she says.

"Kit, this is US Attorney Tom Connolly." Cooper stated.

"Harold was just telling me about you and your sister. How tenacious the two of you are." Connolly states.

She bites her lip, thinking about what Lizzie had told her. "Sir, is it possible to speak privately?" she asks looking back at Cooper.

"Miss Scott, the Rifkin case...the decision has been made. It's done." Connolly says as if she hadn't said anything.

"Kit, whatever you need to say, can be said in front of both of us." Cooper says.

"Fine...Lizzie has a witness that says that he heard you," she points at Connolly, "order you," pointing back at Cooper, "to beat a confession out of Rifkin. That he saw it happen. On top of the true log sheet that shows it took two hours instead of thirty minutes to bring him in from the airport." she says showing Cooper the copy of the log sheet.

Cooper takes the sheet from her, "I did not railroad an innocent man. There were witnesses, first hand accounts."

"That might be right...but did you beat him?" she asks trying to keep her voice steady.

Cooper swallows, "Yes….Kit, Alan Ray Rifkin deserves the sentence he received for his crimes."

She shakes her head and leaves the office, dialing her phone to let Lizzie know.

* * *

 **Red**

 _"Cooper's gone."_ Lizzie tells him.

He sighs, not liking the turn of events.

"When?"

 _"He and Connolly were taken moments after Rifkin's execution."_

"Rifkin?" he asks.

 _"Yeah, Alan Ray Rifkin. We were looking into the Judge and found that Cooper was the next target."_

"What about the guy The Judge released? Hastings? Has he been any help?" he asks glancing at Dembe as he starts writing something down on the pad of paper in front of him.

 _"We're getting a court order to talk to him over his doctor's objections. He's worried about further trauma."_

He can hear the eye roll though the phone. "You need to get Hasting to talk, my Queen."

 _"I know….I wish you were here."_ she says the last part softer.

"I should be home tonight. I need to go." he doesn't tell her that he loves her just on the off chance that someone is listening in.

 _"Alright."_ she hangs up.

He hands Dembe the piece of paper, "Dembe, let Edward know that there is going to be a change in the flight plan."

* * *

He walks up the grand stairs of the Quantico Naval Base's main hall, stepping in front of an admiral according to his stripes, as he descended.

"Richard. Say something, Richard. I keep meaning to attend our academy class reunions, and I remember how pinched I look in dinner dress blues." he greeted with a tilt of his head.

"What the hell do you want?" Richard hissed under his breath, looking around them more than likely nervous to be seen talking to him.

"How's your family?"

Richard glared at him. "My wife left me, thanks. You made a hell of a mess when you left. Nobody believed we couldn't see it coming. Maybe we helped you. Maybe we facilitated your treason. Even without any evidence, it was enough to destroy some careers."

"Yes. Richard, I need to know about the Rifkin case. He claims civilians were fired on by soldiers from a Black Hawk that CENTCOM says it never deployed." he says ignoring the small twing of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

Richard reared back in disbelief. "I can't help you."

"You were operational in the Guldara District. If there were choppers in the air, you knew about it."

"Rooming with you was the worst thing that ever happened to me."

He clicked his tongue before continuing. "I'm offering you an opportunity, Richard. The men who want this information can be very helpful. If you help them, it could put you back on track."

* * *

 **Kitty**

She watches as Lizzie sits down in front of the Hastings. None of them wanted to cause this man any more harm but they needed answers.

Meera had thought that her and Lizzie were the most sympathetic of all of them so they had been the ones to come.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Hastings." Lizzie says softly. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. But there are others ... still there, being held. I need to know where you were held."

She watches as Mr. Hasting slowly stoic face trembles and tears start to roll down his cheek.

"No more...Please...go." Mrs. Hasting says trying to comfort her husband.

"I'm sorry...we needed to try." Lizzie says standing and they turn to leave.

"Good night, mother." Hasting says just loud enough for them to hear.

She freezes, knowing that she has heard that phrase.

"No, Mark..it's me. Donna." Mrs. Hasting says as Lizzie leads her out of the house.

"Lizzie...that phrase…"

"Rifkin's last words." Lizzie says pulling out her phone and placing it on speaker..

 _"Anything?"_ Aram asks as she and Lizzie get into the car.

"Aram, the paper said that Rifkin's last words were, "Good night, mother." He said them to his spiritual adviser, Ruth Kipling." Lizzie tells him.

 _"That's right?"_ Aram says clearly confused.

"We just heard Hastings say it." she says.

 _"It could be a coincidence."_ Aram says.

"Possible if that marshal hadn't said that he went to the Amnesty Collective with what he saw." Lizzie tells him.

 _"Alright, Ruth Suzanne Kipling. Single, sixty-two, attended Vassar and co-funded the Amnesty Collective."_ Aram tells them after a few moments.

"Which could be how Kipling found out about the entry log." she says.

 _"I've got an address. Ressler says he will meet you there."_

"Where?" Lizzie asks turning on the car.

 _"Mercer County, Pennsylvania."_

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Her phone rings on their way to Kipling's address.

"Red." she says answering, ignoring the smirk on Kitty's face.

 _"Lizzie, have you located Harold?"_

"Yes. We're almost there." she says as she starts speeding up.

 _"There's been a development."_

* * *

She pulls in to see Ressler telling the SWAT team to move back.

She approaches the barn, her badge held high over her head.

After a few moments, a phone starts ringing.

Ressler hands it to her.

"Ruth, this is not a tactic. I'm not trying to negotiate. There is new information on the Rifkin case. Someone with high-level access is en route." she tells the women.

She nods at Ressler when Ruth agrees to wait.

* * *

 **Red**

He slowly walks down the aisle of the barn, trying not to appear affected by the bangin from the horse stalls as he passes the men being held.

As he stepped forward, he laughed. "Of course. A woman."

He shook his head as he sat in the chair across from Ruth Kipling.

"If you came to advocate on behalf of Agent Cooper…." Kipling starts.

He barely glances over to where Cooper is sitting. A chair that has been made up to appear as an electrocution chair. He wouldn't wish the kind of death that contraption would give on his worst enemy, certainly not on Cooper, who has become as a father figure to Lizzie and Kitty.

"No, I came to advocate on behalf of you. After devoting your life to a pursuit of the truth, to making things right, it would be such a shame in your last act to get it so wrong." he stared at Kipling a moment, watched as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair before handing over a thick folder. "This is a classified Pentagon file on the Rifkin case." Kipling slowly opens the file. "In the spirit of full disclosure, it's a felony for me to have it or for you to see it. But under the circumstances, who are we to quibble? It states that on October 3, 2002, US military intelligence officers deployed a unit by helicopter to the village of Guldara in the Kabul Province of Afghanistan to extract an asset whose identity had been compromised. The Taliban in the area with whom Alan Ray Rifkin had aligned himself got word of the informant and advanced on the village. But they were too late. The boys had extracted their asset and left. Angry and suspicious of others, the Taliban and Rifkin set fire to the village and executed inhabitants. Dozens of women and children were killed at the hands of the Taliban in response to US military intelligence in the area. I guess, fearing more headlines, the Pentagon wanted no association with the incident, so they covered it up. That is what happened. That is the truth. That's why you're not gonna light up Agent Cooper today. Alan Ray Rifkin wasn't executed because of a beating or because of a cover up. He was executed because of the truth. Now, you and I could talk for days about the whys and why nots of an execution, but at the end of it all, in the final moment, the only irrefutable fact is you better be right. And I'm betting you're not so sure."

Kipling's eyes narrowed as she sat primly in her chair. "How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?"

He smirked darkly. "Mark Hastings. You let him go because he had served his time, because this has always been about justice in your eyes, not blind revenge. The day you started this, you knew it would inevitably end, that when you released your first prisoner, you would get caught. You don't want to diminish your legacy of righteousness because of him which is why you're going to surrender." Though his words and tone were dark, he sprang up out of his chair as if a flip had been switched and tossed his hat back atop his head as he smiled over at Cooper. "Harold, don't look so glum. Come on." he said jovially, winking at the man and walking out.

* * *

Moments after he left and Kipling gave herself up, SWAT entered the barn and released all of the Judge's prisoners.

He nods at Lizzie as he passes her.

He watches as she rests her hand over where he knows her necklace rests. He places his hand on his chest where his pendant rests.

* * *

 **Kitty**

Cooper sighed as he took down the pictures of all of the victims from the evidence board. "Five prosecutors, a federal judge, two cops, there were 10 people in that bunker." He stated, looking over at Kitty as she walked forward. "What's this?"

"Pleas that Lizzie and Captain found in Frank Gordon's room from prisoners all over the country." she says placing them on the table.

"Send it to the Justice Department for review. Walk with me?" Cooper asks heading down the hall.

She quickly moves to catch up with him.

"I do regret the methods that were used to obtain Rifkin's confession. If you feel like you need to report it, I understand." Cooper says the instant she reaches him.

She scoffs and shakes her head. "There's been enough judgement today. Also, I seemed to have forgotten everything we talked about." she says walking off with a sincere smile on her face.

Cooper watches as she disappears, he shakes his head suddenly thankful.

* * *

 **Red**

He waits until after he knows that Lizzie and Kitty have gone before he enters the Post Office. Luckily, it's nearly empty save a few agents. He heads right up to Cooper's office.

Cooper sat back in his chair, gazing across his desk watching as he sat calmly in his own chair. "I'm not sure how but you must have known that this was gonna happen with me. The Judge. If you thought that by saving me you'd get some kind of leverage..." Cooper states.

"Harold, a war is coming." he stated grimly. "I believe the incursion of this facility and the rather sudden disappearance of Diane Fowler were just the beginning, and I'm certain that things will get considerably worse before they get better." he keeps himself calm, when inside he is worried. For the members on the task force, for Kitty and for his heart, Lizzie.

Cooper cocked his head to the side, his brows raised in sudden understanding. "You want my help."

He nodded once after a moment, "Not now. Later. But when I do, I hope you'll remember what happened today."

He stood up, placed his hat on his head and headed towards the door.

"Is that it?" Cooper calls after him.

He stops at the door, "No. I'd like you to reach out to Admiral Richard Abraham, he was very helpful in resolving the matters of the day. He's had a rough go of it for quite some time."

"Abraham." Cooper repeated the name.

"Yes. Admiral Richard. He's a good man. I wonder if you could pull a few strings."

Cooper nodded slowly. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

He enters the house slowly.

Kitty and Lizzie are sitting on the couch looking at the laptop.

"What are you ladies doing?" he asks staring at them for a moment unable to stop the smile that spread across his face,

"Baby shopping." Kitty says with a grin, holding up a notebook.

Dembe moves around him to stand behind the girls.

"That is cute." Dembe says, smiling at the screen and placing his hand on Lizzie's shoulder.

"Now I need to see." he says and moves into the room.

Kitty moves down to the floor so that he can sit down next to Lizzie.

Lizzie has **_Babies-r-Us_** website up on the screen. Seems they were looking at nursery ideas.

"World travel?" he asks looking at the idea that was on screen.

"Yeah...I wanted to…." Lizzie says slightly at a loss for words.

"We couldn't find a good way to make a nursery with a chess theme, so after thinking we thought travel." Kitty says.

"I like it." he says dropping a kiss on Lizzie's shoulder.

She smiles at him softly as he slowly places his hand on her stomach, making small circles with his thumb.

"What else have you found?" he asks enjoying the smile that lights up her face as she starts showing him and Dembe everything that she and Kitty have found since they been home.

* * *

He slipped out of bed making sure not to wake her up when he heard a soft knock at the door. He quietly throws on a pair of pants.

He finds Dembe waiting for him.

"The Cowboy has something." Dembe says softly.

He nods and grabs a shirt before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He left the house, luckily the Cowboy was parked right where he had been the other day so he didn't have to go far.

"What have you found?" he asks moments after getting into the car.

The Cowboy inserts a thumb drive into a laptop and shows him photos of himself, Lizzie, Dembe, Baz, Kitty, Ressler and Aram.

There are even photos of Kitty and Lizzie meeting with Ressler girlfriend.

"Looks like she has been following you and your girls. You want me to bring her in?" the Cowboy asks.

"Not yet. Just watch her...for now I want to see how this plays out." he says taking the thumb drive.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N I am sorry that it took so long :( Keeping the hope alive on the imposer theory :) That being said I'm sorry for this chapter….I feel bad for what I'm about to put Ressler through :(**

* * *

 **Mako Tanida**

 **A Month Later**

 **Lizzie**

"Audrey, it's okay... How is Cap doing?... Are you sure that you don't want us to join you?" Kitty is saying into the phone when she enters the kitchen.

Dembe holds out a plate to her, which she takes quickly.

"What's going on?" she asks Red nodding towards Kitty.

"Seems someone that Audrey and Ressler know has passed away." Red says watching as she joins him at the table. "I guess you, Kitty and Audrey were planning to meet today. Audrey is cancelling."

"She's done that a lot lately." she mutters under her breath. She liked Audrey and knew that Kitty like her too but over the past week or so, Audrey had one reason or another not to meet up with them.

She catches Kitty's eye when Kitty enters the kitchen.

"Ressler okay?" she asks softly.

Kitty shakes her head 'no'.

"If you or Cap need us, we'll be there." Kitty says once more before hanging up. "That just sucks."

"Who died?" she asks nibbling on a piece of bacon.

"Someone named Raimo. I guess Audrey got to know him and his wife when he worked with Cap a few years ago on a task force to catch a criminal, some guy named Reddington." Kitty says trying to joke but the smile doesn't reach her eyes.

"Ramio? Did Audrey say how he died?" Red asked, narrowing his eyes in speculation.

"It looks like suicide." Kitty answered softly.

"Raymond?" she asks noticing the look of concern and confusion that crosses his face.

"I need to look into this, my Queen. I remember Agent Ramio and he wasn't a man that would take an easy way out." Red said softly as he kissed just under her ear.

She nods and grabs his arm when he starts to stand. "Better kiss." she says before his mouth covers hers in a deep kiss.

Pulling back, she watches as he licks his lips. He rests a hand on her small bump before dropping down and kissing her one more time.

"I love you." she says softly.

"I love you, too….both of you." he says rubbing his thumb on her bump.

Kitty watches with a smile on her face. She watches as Kitty bites her lip before standing and leaving the kitchen.

"Be safe." she tells Red as he and Dembe get ready to leave.

"Always." he says with a smirk.

She is cleaning up the kitchen when Kitty comes back in a pair of black skinny jeans, black boots and a black sweater.

"Where are you going?" she asks having a feeling she already knows the answer.

"You know where I'm going." Kitty says picking up the phone on the counter.

"Did Audrey or Ressler ask you to join them?" she asks watching her sister closely.

"Audrey said that she had it handled but….I didn't like the way Cap sounded when I spoke to him a little bit ago." Kitty said looking down.

"Alright...I'm going to go to the Post Office..going to get Ressler and I caught up on paperwork so he can have a few days to be with his friends." she says thinking that if Kitty is worried it might be a good idea to give Ressler less worries.

"I'll call you later and let you know how he's doing." Kitty said grabbing her purse before leaving.

"Just you and me little one." she says softly resting her hand on her stomach.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He reached into the collar of his shirt, trying to loosen it when Bobby joined watched Audrey across the room as she was comforting Sarah.

He's noticed that Audrey had been pulling away from him ever since he asked her to move in, part of him was worried that he was trying to move forward to soon. He hopes that losing a friend doesn't make her pull away more.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head." Bobby said pulling him into a one armed man hug.

"Hey brother." he said as the front door opened and he was shocked to see Kitty walking in.

"You okay?" Bobby asks pulling away from him to turn around.

"Hey Cap." Kitty says coming over to him and gives him a hug. Instantly he wraps his arm around her shoulders and for a moment allows himself a breath. She rests her hand on his wrist where he is still wearing the knight bracelet. Audrey has been trying to get him to stop wearing it but it made him feel like he was a part of Kit and Liz's family s he refused.

"What are you doing here?" he asks pulling back ignoring the look on Bobby's face.

Kitty just shrugs and smiles softly at him before turning and heading over to Audrey.

"Something you want to share with the class?" Bobby asks looking over his shoulder at Kitty.

"She's a friend." he says watching as Audrey gives Kitty a hug before introducing her to Sarah.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that….how you doing?" Bobby asks shaking his head with a knowing smirk.

He just shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

"Hey guys." Pete says joining them.

"Hey Pete." Bobby says as Pete grabs a beer.

"To Sam." Pete says as they all raise their beers before taking a sip.

"Anyone have anything yet?" Pete asks looking at him and Bobby.

"There's nothing. NPA is saying suicide, that Sam was carrying a lot of debt." Bobby told them.

"Ritual suicide? I don't believe that for a second. Sammy loved Sarah." he said.

Kitty comes back over and stands by him, watching him closely.

"Who gutted him then?" Pete asks clearly trying to figure out who Kitty is.

"Are you forgetting the list of people that we pissed off?" he said as Kitty takes his empty beer out of his hand and gives him a full one. "Pick one."

"Hey guys." Audrey says joining them by placing herself on the other side of Kitty, closer to Bobby.

"Hey Audrey." Bobby says reaching out and hugging her.

"How is retirement treating you?" Audrey asks Bobby.

"How are you doing?" Kitty asks softly as Audrey and Bobby chat with Pete.

"Trying to make sense of this and failing." he says softly placing his arm over her shoulders so they can talk quietly.

"Our friend is looking into this as well. This doesn't sit well with him." Kitty says.

"We interrupting?" Bobby asks with a smirk.

He notices that Audrey is looking at him as if she is waiting for something.

"Ummm…." he said confused.

"I was just telling Bobby and Pete that we might drop by every so often to check in on Sarah." Audrey said looking at him and Kitty with a small glare.

"That's a good idea." Kitty says.

Audrey rolls her eyes and walks away from them.

"You know, there is one person that we have been tracking for years that would have the means to do this. My money's on Reddington. I bet this has his fingerprints all over this." Bobby says.

He quickly holds Kitty closer to him and shakes his head at her when he notices her move forward and open her mouth, more than likely to argue.

"I'll see you later." Kitty says nodding at him before moving away from from them to talk to Audrey.

"Ummm..did you seriously bring not one but two dates to a funeral?" Pete asks as the three of them watch Kitty hug Audrey and Sarah before leaving.

"No, Kitty is just a friend." he states again.

"Really...how did you meet her?" Bobby asks.

"Her sister is my partner." he mutters.

Pete and Bobby just smirk at him, shaking their heads.

He takes a sip of his beer thinking about Bobby's statement about Red.

* * *

After dropping Audrey off, he picked up his phone and dialed Liz's extension in the Post Office as he loosened his tie. He had a feeling that Kitty would argue for what he wanted.

 _"Hey..how are you?"_ Liz asked the instant she picked up.

"Been worse. Do you think you could get me in touch with Red? I need to talk to him." he said.

 _"Yeah...wow. The two of you must be thinking about the same thing."_

"Why do you say that?"

 _"He just texted asking me to get you in contact with him."_

* * *

 **Red**

He stood in the box, that had the best view of the entire theater. Currently, the dancers on the stage were only milling about and stretching in their comfortable practice gear.

"You shouldn't be here. I said that I could send a messenger." a voice from behind him states.

"Christine, I wanted to deliver this personally." he states turning to the young woman and handing over a check.

She smiled, shyly taking the envelope and putting her hands behind her back. "Thank you."

"Will it be ready in time?" he asked, looking down at the ballerinas on the stage.

"Everything's on schedule, just like you asked just like last time." Christine tells him watching the girls on stage.

"What do they do for lunch? How does it work for dancers? Do they order in or eat bag lunches?" he asks with a slightly sarcastic grin.

Christine tries to keep a straight face, "They smoke."

He laughs softly before turning to look at her, "I'll see you on the twenty-second. Also, please send your mother my thanks."

He walks away, leaving her standing there watching the dancers as Dembe joins him.

"Agent Ressler called. He wants to meet." Dembe tells him.

* * *

He waits until Ressler parks the car.

"Stay in the car." he tells Dembe as he gets out. Dembe nods and removes his hand from the handle. He nodded his head at Ressler as the man got out of his car and moved towards him.

"I heard Agent Raimo was relieved of his viscera." he stated soberly.

He watched as Ressler's jaw flexed in anger. "If you had anything to do with this…."

"Donald, please." he said trying to calm the man down.

"What was it payback for Vienna?" Ressler continued as he hadn't spoken.

"I was the one who reached out to you, Donald. It wasn't to revisit all the times I eluded your little coterie of door–kickers who pursued me with such fervor and zeal." he paused as Ressler shook his head, snorting quietly in disgust.

"I came to discuss a former associate of mine who your team arrested along the way. Mako Tanida."

Ressler looked at him in confusion, "The Yakuza boss? He's in prison."

He scoffed, "He was...until two days ago. He broke out of Abashiri. However, if you ask the Japanese, they'll skirt. They don't like admitting that Abashiri isn't escape proof. I have a strong feeling that Tanida had a hand in Raimo's demise."

"So you want to help me find him?" Ressler laughed humorlessly. "Let me guess, he double–crossed you, and you want his head in a box."

He leaned back and looked at Ressler with a sardonic grin. "There's a thought. But for the moment, the scalp I'm worried about is yours. Tanida is disciplined, relentless. If he did kill Agent Raimo, there's the distinct possibility he's just getting started. I fear, Donald, that you're being hunted by a vengeful, ruthless killer."

"Why do you care?" Ressler asks as he starts to move back towards the car.

"Simple Donald, I don't want Liz to suffer having to train a new partner should something happen to you. Also, Kitty would be upset if something happened to her Captain." he said with grin as he entered the car.

"Let's go." he said to Dembe the instant the door was shut.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She rolled her shoulders, stretching after finishing her workout the next morning.

"Kitten." Colossus says coming over to her with a annoyed look on his face. "You were right." he says holding out a folder.

She takes the folder and opens it to find photos of Audrey with the guy that she knew to be the ex-fiancee.

She scoffs. "Went right to him after the funeral."

Colossus nods, "According to our guy, Ressler dropped her off at his apartment and the instant he drove off, she got into her car and went right to this guy."

"I had a feeling that something was up...I was just hoping that I was wrong." she sighs, biting her lip. "Cap has too much shit that he is dealing with right now. I'll go see her later. Where is she?"

"Currently, Ressler's apartment. The Queen called, she's heading right to the Post Office this morning. Seems Ressler is moving forward on the information that the King gave him."

She nods. "Okay, that means I have time to talk to Audrey before Cap will show up."

Colossus nods and walks off.

She looks at the photos, pissed off again about see Audrey kissing her ex. "I might like you but no one fucks over my family."

* * *

 **Ressler**

"Mako Tanida, former clan boss of the Azuma Dojin, based out of Osaka." he tells the others as he places the folder on the desk that Aram, Meera, Cooper and Liz are surrounding. "By the time our task force caught up, he controlled a large part of the heroin trade traveling along the Silk Road."

"After Tanida's arrest, we thought his empire would collapse." Meera began, pausing as Aram's phone rang and he quickly excused himself. "It didn't. In fact, it expanded grew to include alliances with the Chinese Triad, Korean Tong, even Russian. Bratva. And his operations in the U.S. have grown extensively."

"For a time, the intelligence community believed Tanida somehow was operating his empire from inside prison. No one knew how, but there were theories he had politicians in his pocket or he controlled the army, but after he was put into solitary, it became clear that someone else was running the empire." he states ignoring a feeling in his gut as Aram talks into his headset.

Liz places her hand on his and squeezes softly, just letting him know that she is there.

He nods at her in understanding, thankful. He was upset that Audrey hadn't been at the apartment when he had gotten home last night, she had decided to go back over to Sarah's for the night.

Meera leans over, hitting a button on the keyboard and a picture flashed up on the screen. "Within the agency, that man is known as Aiko Tanida, Mako's younger brother. He escaped the night of the raid that took Tanida. We believe he went underground, dark, reemerged as something entirely different bookish boy turned ruthless crime lord."

"They call him 'Tensei.' Means 'Reborn.'" Liz says reading from the folder.

"Reach out to your agency contacts. I want to know everything there is to know about this brother." Cooper ordered just as Aram came back, holding his phone.

"Uh, we just received word. Uh, Agent Maguire..." Aram licked his lips, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Maguire's body was found under a bridge near Broadway at 39th." as she was speaking, Liz taped the crime scene photos onto the evidence board.

"Domain awareness has three surveillance hits on Tanida. Units en route." called out one of their techs.

"Arrived on United 472 from Tokyo." Aram called out, not looking up from his computer screen. "Passed through customs at 11:32 under the alias Yasu Itami."

Cooper nods and pointed at one of the techs. "Feed NPA the alias." Cooper stated as he turned to face him. "The Reddington task force...who else was on it?"

"Myself and Bobby Jonica." he muttered, unable to take his eyes away from Maguire's crime scene photos.

"I'll send a protective detail. Did you hear me?" Cooper stood in front of him, blocking his view of the evidence boards. "Agent Ressler."

He finally looked at him, shaking his head dazedly. "I got a place up in Prince George's County, off the grid. I got to get Audrey there."

* * *

 **Kitty**

She knocks on the door, waiting.

"Kitty, umm what are you doing here?" Audrey asks fixing her top as she opens the door.

"We need to talk." she says pushing past Audrey into the apartment.

She sneers at the man sitting in the living room. The same one from the photos in her bag."What are you doing here?"

"Ummmm…" the guy said standing.

"Kitty..this is…" Audrey starts.

"I know who he is." she states turning to glare at Audrey. She pulls out a photo from her bag and tosses it at Audrey.

Audrey pales as the photo falls to the floor.

Ignoring Audrey, she turns back to the guy, "Get out."

"I don't know who…"

"I am the person that will hopefully be able to keep Don from killing you. Get out." she tells him.

The man pales and grabs his jacket off the couch, leaving Audrey to deal with her, alone.

"I can explain…" Audrey says softly.

"I don't give a shit. How long?" she snarls.

"Kitty…"

"How long!?" she yells.

"A couple weeks...we bumped into each other...I still felt the sparks...but Don asked me to move in….it just happened…" Audrey says trying to justify.

She scoffs and opens her mouth to yell when her phone starts going off.

"Lizzie, I'm busy." she states.

 _"I know. Baz told me."_

"How..? Colossus told him." she stated answering her own question.

 _"Yeah...Kitty, Ressler is on his way there. Another one of his friends was killed. He wants to take Audrey some place safe."_

She glares at the woman now sitting on the couch.

"Alright." she sighs.

" _Kitty…"_

"I'm make sure she's ready by the time he gets here."

 _"Love you."_

"Love you and the little pawn." she says with a soft smile before turning to look at Audrey. "You might want to start packing a bag."

"What?" Audrey asks confused.

"Stuff is going on. Get a bag ready. Captain, will be here soon. I won't tell him..yet but you need to decide who you want to be with."

Audrey nods, standing.

She leaves the apartment.

"We leaving?" Colossus asks when she enters the hall.

"We are going to wait in the car. We're going to be extra protection when Captain gets here to move her." she says stalking down the hallway.

* * *

 **Ressler**

As he approached his apartment, he noticed the door was ajar. Drawing his pistol, he noiselessly opened the door and began to sweep the apartment. Noticing movement coming around the corner, he aimed his gun.

"Oh." Audrey startled as she saw him with his gun pointed at her.

He immediately holstered his weapon and walked towards her. "You left the door open?"

"Yeah. I was packing my stuff up, I just didn't want to keep locking and unlocking the door." Audrey said nervously, setting the last of her clothes down in a suitcase and zipping it up.

"Packing?" he asks looking at the bag.

"I think I should move back into my apartment. My lease is still going…."

He swallows hard. "Not the time. We need to go." he states, gently taking her by the crook of her elbow and leading her towards the door.

"Why? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you in the car."

"No. You will tell me now or I'm not going anywhere." she stated forcefully.

"Pete Maguire is dead. Let's go."

Wordlessly, she follows him to his car.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Wait a few before you follow." she says to Colossus as she dials Lizzie as the watch Cap drive off with Audrey.

 _"Hey."_

"Okay, we are following Captain. What is going on?" she said nodding to Colossus after a couple minutes before he started following after Cap.

 _"Pete Maguire was found dead this morning. Red was right. Tanida is in town."_

"Fuck."

 _"I know….what did she say about….?"_

"It just happened. She bumped into him a couple weeks ago and she still felt the sparks." she said rolling her eyes.

"FUCK!" Colossus exclaims as he pulls onto the street that Cap had just gone down moments before them.

 _"Kitty! What's going on?!"_ Lizzie exclaims.

"Oh god…" she breaths looking at the scene in front of her.

Cap is wrestling with some guy near a truck. Cap's jeep is off the side of the road and Audrey is staggering towards them.

She drops the phone as Colossus brakes the car, both of them getting out as a shot rings out.

"AUDREY!" Cap screams out letting go of the man that he was struggling with.

"Go!" she screams at Colossus, who runs after the man as she rushes towards Audrey.

"No, no, no, no. I got you. I've got you, sweetie." Cap is saying softly when she reaches them.

"Where was she hit?" she asks noticing that he has his hands on her stomach.

"I can't...I can't…"

"DONALD! Where?" she yells trying to get his attention.

He just presses down harder making Audrey whimper.

"I'm sorry…." Audrey whispers.

"You are not getting out of it that easily…" she mutters removing her scarf and forcing Cap to move his hand so that she can take over.

"I lost him…" Colossus says as he joins them and kneels down to help as the sound of sirens fill the air.

"Stay...stay..stay with me." Cap whispers to Audrey holding her as close as he can while she tries to stop the bleeding.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He stared at his hands. Even though he had washed off the blood, it still felt like it was there.

"You can't sideline me." he growled, unable to take look up from his hands as he sat in a empty waiting room. Audrey was in surgery and he was praying to every god that he could think of.

"We'll find Tanida. Doesn't matter how long it takes. But we have to do it the right way, follow procedure." Cooper states.

"You really expect me to care about procedure? Audrey is in surgery right now." he spat, finally looking up at Cooper.

All he felt was rage as the image of Audrey going down replays over and over again in his head.

"Of course not." Cooper placated, sitting in the chair next to him. "I can't imagine what you're going through. I wouldn't dare. But don't compromise yourself. You're a good agent. A good man."

"I have to do something." he said angrily, standing up. "Just sitting here waiting..is not helping."

"While you are being here for Audrey, we'll track Tanida down. Making sure that he gets his due. You have my word on that."

* * *

 **Kitty**

She looks up as Cap staggers away from the surgeon. Slowly she stands as he makes his way over to her and Lizzie.

"Ressler?" Lizzie asks softly.

"They couldn't save her…...the damage was beyond repair." he whispers.

She wraps her arms around him and Lizzie does the same. Each of them holding him up as his legs seem to collapse underneath him.

She notices over his shoulder an elderly couple and the ex coming towards them.

"Lizzie…" she says softly motioning towards them.

"Baz, could you help Ressler down to my car. I'm going to take him home." Lizzie says nodding at Baz.

Baz nods and helps Cap to his feet and out of the room before the couple reaches her and Lizzie.

Colossus glares at the man when he enters the waiting room.

"Are you friends of Audrey's?" the woman asks looking around the room.

"No, we're friends of Ressler." Lizzie tells them.

The older man scoffs, "Where is he? Where is he when my daughter needs him?" the older man states.

"He is on his way home to deal with the fact that your daughter didn't survive." she growls moving towards Audrey's father.

"What?" Audrey's mother cries.

"No...you're just...you're lying." the father says paling.

"No, she is not. Audrey didn't survive. The doctor did what he could but the damage was irreversible." Lizzie says in a calming tone.

"You shouldn't be here." she says looking right at the guy that she had kicked out of Cap's apartment only a few hours ago.

"I loved her too. Besides, she still had me as her emergency contact." he stated.

While Lizzie maneuvered Audrey's parents to one of the doctors she moved very close to the man.

"You have zero right to be here. She might have been fucking you on the side but she would have gone back to him when the thrill died again." she sneers at the man. "As far as anyone is concerned you two haven't seen each other for months, is that clear?"

He scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"I can make you disappear at a moments notice and no one will ever tie me to it. Your body will never be found. I repeat am I clear?" she snarls as Colossus smirks at the man and reveals the gun at his side.

He nods and quickly moves away from her.

She gives Lizzie a look and leaves the room to head down to the car to comfort her friend.

* * *

 **Ressler**

The next day, he is slouched on the couch in Bobby's living room. He couldn't stand being in the apartment any longer. Liz, Aram and Kitty had all called him but he hadn't responded to any of them.

"I've gone through every CI, every source I had when I was running that task force. I've got nothing." he says letting out a breath.

"What about Tensei, the brother?" Bobby asked, perched on the edge of his chair as he drank his beer.

"I reached out to a friend of mine at the DEA. He's got no base of operation, no regular haunts, no hot spots. This guy's a ghost." he said shaking his head, rubbing his hand along the top of his head in frustration.

"Look, Don…., we don't….we can...we can do this later." Bobby says having a hard time with the words.

"No. I need to do something. It has to be now. Someone out there has to know something." he states.

"Well, I'll tell you who knows." Bobby said, taking another sip of his drink.

He paused for a moment before his confusion suddenly cleared. "Reddington?"

"They worked together, Donny. Reddington understands how this world works. What I wouldn't give to get him alone in a room for just five minutes."

He covers his mouth with his hand. He knows that if he asked Kitty or Liz would get him in touch with Red but knowing them they would try to tag along. It takes everything in him not to laugh when he remembers that Dembe's number is still in his phone from when he called to set up the meet the other day.

* * *

 **Red**

He sighed as he climbed into the Cowboy's car. The Cowboy hands him a folder of photos that show 'Lucy/Jolene' walking on the street with Tom.

"She's still in town?" he asks.

Cowboy scoffs, "No..she skipped town without me knowing about it."

He rolls his eyes, "Bring her to me. Him too if you get the chance."

"I thought you wanted to see how this played out."

"It has." he says point blank not liking being questioned.

"Well, you want me to bring both of them in, there's gonna be a fee, and it's gonna cost you double."

He leaned back as if to get a better view of the other man. "Oh? Why is that?"

"Simple, I don't like you." A small grin adorned the Cowboy's face. "And that hat makes your head look funny."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "The pot meets the kettle at last." he murmured before growing serious. "Bring me the girl no matter what. If you can get him, I'll pay triple." he tells him, climbing out of the car.

Dembe meets him holding out the phone.

"It's Agent Ressler." Dembe says.

* * *

He waits by the road and Dembe leans against the hood of the Mercedes, both watching as Ressler pulled up in his SUV.

"Searching in the desert for a drop of vengeance to slake an unquenchable thirst is a lonely walk, my dear boy." he tells the younger man as Ressler slams his door closed and walks towards him.

"Tanida's close. I can burn the whole neighborhood down, or you can tell me where he is." Ressler stated tensely.

He nodded slowly, turned on his heel and walked towards the bank of the river, watching his step as he trudged through the ice crusted snow. A moment later, he heard the loud crunch which signaled that Ressler was following behind him.

"Donald, I understand how you feel." he says once they reach the bank, standing side-by-side as they gazed out at the frigid river. "Beneath the facade beats the heart of a man struggling with immeasurable grief. I am truly sorry about Audrey."

"Yeah, well, you have moved on from that grief otherwise you wouldn't be expecting a baby with Liz."

"Oh, Donald. There are few that understand love and loss more than I. You never fully move on. You just learn to exist." he says feeling his heart tighten at the memory of his loss.

Ressler nodded slowly, attempting to smile his thanks though all that appeared was a grimace.

He nods and sighs knowing what the man truly wants. "Let me tell you something that someone much wiser than I told me at a similar point in my life. Go home. Turn back from this and go home. It may seem like the hardest thing in the world, but it is profoundly easier than what you're contemplating."

"I'm not turning back." Ressler says his face becoming a cold mask.

"That's pretty much what I said." he turned to look out at the river once more. "In your dust–up with Tanida, were there any survivors?"

"Yes." Ressler said hesitantly.

"Injuries?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He nodded and resigned himself to getting an earful from Lizzie and Kitty later for this. "There's a house in Columbia Heights that doubles as an underground hospital. May be worth a visit."

Within moments, Ressler was speeding across the snow, heading towards his SUV.

"Agent Ressler!" he called out, waiting for Ressler to turn around before he continued. "Once you cross over, there are things in the darkness that can keep your heart from ever feeling the light again."

"Right now, all I feel is hate." Ressler growled before climbing into his vehicle.

"Good. You're gonna need it." he murmured to himself.

Sighing, he gazed once more at the river before bending down. He quickly formed a snowball in his hands and then threw it with all his might into the river. Because why the hell not?

"You know….." Dembe says as he joins them.

"I might be taking a permanent spot on the couch for a few weeks." he says with a grin.

"If either of them even let you into the house." Dembe says with a smirk.

"What makes you think they'll let you in? You brought me out to meet him." he says enjoying watching the smirk fall off Dembe's face.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He and Bobby exploded down the stairs, into the basement where a man and woman were stitching up a man who lay prone on the makeshift operating table.

"FBI! Everybody on the ground! You! Show me your hands! Show me your hands! Get over there! Go!" Bobby yelled as they entered, guns raised.

"You remember me?" he said as he walked up to the man on the table and held his gun to his head. "I haven't forgotten you. Let's make this quick. Where's Tanida?"

The man shook his head desperately.

"Where is he?!" he yelled before shooting the man in the leg.

The man cried out loudly, clutching his leg and writhing in agony.

"Shh. Where's Tanida? No, no, no, no, no! English!" he yelled when the man attempted to speak in Japanese.

"22nd and 5th, blue door! It's a club. Please you didn't hear it from me."

* * *

 **Kitty**

"Metro P.D. got called in on an 808. They were told two men presented as FBI." she announced as Lizzie came bustled into the room.

"Ressler and Jonica." Meera sighed. "Any idea how they slipped their protective detail?"

Lizzie shrugged her shoulders. "He hasn't answered his cell at all today. Now, it's going right to voicemail."

"How did they know to come here? We didn't even know this place existed." Meera asks looking around the room.

She sighed, sharing a look with Lizzie.

Lizzie pursed her lips, taking a deep breath. "We all know how they got here."

"You go see him. I'll yell." she mutters as Lizzie nods.

* * *

 **Red**

"Christina, I don't care about production issues. Please just figure it out by tomorrow." he said before hanging up as he watched Lizzie walk to the car as it idles in the middle of a deserted parking lot.

Lizzie sighed as she climbed into the backseat with him.

"Ressler? Where is he? I know he came to you. I know you told him about that hospital." she says looking at him with a look of small disappointment.

He licked his lips before looking away, not liking her mad at him. "Agent Ressler came to me for assistance, which I provided."

"You sent him after Tanida." Lizzie stated her voice breaking slightly.

"No. I provided a bit of direction in an otherwise blind pursuit." he told her, trying to help her see reason.

"He's not like you! He can't just murder someone in cold blood and come out of it okay on the other end!" she yelled.

He sighed and placed his hand on her knee as he turned to look at her.

"Nobody can murder someone in cold blood and come out okay on the other end." he told her softly, lifting his other hand to brush away the tear that had started to form.

"Why didn't you tell me or Kitty that he came to you?" she whispered leaning into him.

"Since I knew that the two of you would try to help or stop him." he said honestly.

"Well now we need to find Tanida before he does, if only to keep Ressler from going over an edge that he will never be able to come back from." she said.

He nodded, "Alright...I can see what I can do. Also don't make any plans for tomorrow night."

"Why?"

"We have a date." he says kissing her softly enjoying the sight of her smiling.

"Okay...back to Tanida." she says moving away slightly. "Aram and Kitty have gone through his financials, Meera has checked into his prison contacts..his brother…"

"Aiko?" he asked confused.

"Tensei. The reborn." she states looking at him a little lost for a moment.

"Aiko is dead." he murmured.

"What do you mean, he's dead? Aiko Tanida is running his brother's empire."

He shook his head, exasperated at the F.B.I's appalling lack of intel. "Aiko Tanida died the day his brother was captured by Ressler's task force. Anyone who tells you otherwise doesn't know the difference between a water buffalo and a musk ox."

* * *

 **Ressler**

He and Bobby walked into the club and right up to where Tanida and two of his men sat.

Neither hesitated before shooting the men with Tanida.

"Mako Tanida! Agent Donald Ressler. Let's go for a drive." he growls.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She all but ran into the war room, unwrapping her scarf from her neck as she talked.

"Reddington says Aiko Tanida's dead. That he died the same night his brother was apprehended by Ressler's task force."

Meera shook her head. "No, we have documented proof he escaped, evidence from then…."

"It had to be falsified." Kitty stated. "You know Red is never wrong."

Meera rolls her eyes but she nods.

"We need to review what happened that night. Think about it, no one's seen or heard from the guy in four years. Our last known photograph is older than that. This man is not in hiding. He's dead. We need to review the case files. Someone else is running Tanida's business." she says.

* * *

Meera slid a file across the table to Cooper a short time later. "This is the incident report from the NPA in Japan."

"What am I looking for?" Cooper asked, scanning the document.

"Most of the details support our own investigation. The vehicle carrying Aiko Tanida was ambushed. Only the driver's body was found."

"What do you mean most of the details?" she asked taking the file from Cooper and moving over to where Kitty and Aram are sitting.

"What was missed?" Kitty asks looking up at her, taking the folder.

"It seems that there was someone else in the car. The NPA report makes a reference to an American federal agent accompanying the transport." Meera states.

"What agent?" Cooper asks.

Kitty stumbles as she tries to stand looking nervous.

"Kitty?" Aram asks.

She quickly looks at the page spread out on the desk.

"Bobby Jonica." she breathes. "Jonica was on the task force. He had intimate knowledge of Tanida's enterprise. He knew everything key players, trade routes, distribution hookups. And he was able to avoid detection by making us believe Aiko Tanida was still alive. Jonica is Tensei."

"And Ressler has no clue…" Kitty says grabbing her phone and running out of the war room.

"Where is she going?" Cooper asks.

She doesn't say a word since she knows that Kitty is calling anyone and everyone to help them find Ressler.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He leaned his head back against the headrest of the passenger seat as Bobby drove. He tried to ignore the fact that Tanida was handcuffed in the backseat.

"Hey...You okay?" Bobby asks.

He swallows not sure what to say.

"Donny, we're doing the right thing here." Bobby tells him.

"How long did it take for your friend to die? You must be filled with so much rage." Tanida asked him silkily.

"You have no idea." he growled turning to look at him.

"That's where you are wrong."

"Hey, just keep it to yourself back there, huh?" Bobby yelled, barely glancing at Tanida in the rearview mirror.

"Do you remember the night we met?" Tanida asked as if Bobby hadn't spoken. "The arrest, taking away me and my brother. That was the last I saw of him. The last anyone saw of him."

"That's a very sad story." Bobby sounded anything but sympathetic. "Don't listen to him, Donny. Hey, shut up back there."

"Raimo and Maguire, I am satisfied that they knew nothing. That leaves the two of you. You think I did all this because you arrested me?"

"I said shut up back there!" Bobby yelled.

"You were doing your job." Tanida leaned forward. "I respected that. What I do not respect is that you killed my brother."

He looks at him in confusion.

"Just shut your mouth!" Bobby yelled.

"Took my business."

"Bobby, what is he talking…." he asks turning to look at Bobby, praying that what Tanida is saying is wrong.

Bobby turned in his seat to yell at Tanida. "Not one more word out of you!"

"Bobby, talk to me. Talk to me." he pleaded, looking between the two men. He wished he hadn't left his phone at the apartment because at that moment he could really use Aram or Kitty.

"Never mind him, Don. Don't listen to him." Bobby growled.

"He's gonna kill both of us!" Tanida yelled.

"Shut up!" Bobby screamed, pulling out his gun and firing blindly into the back seat, hitting Tanida.

He reached over the center console and grabbed for Bobby's gun without a moment's hesitation.

"Donny, let go!" Bobby yelled.

They struggled for the gun. He punched Bobby wherever he could reach.

Bobby, in his attempt to keep the gun away from him, let go of the steering wheel and everything went black for a moment.

* * *

 **Kitty**

 _"Kitty where are you?"_ Lizzie asked.

"Colossus and I are at Cap's apartment. He left his phone...his car is gone. You might want to see if Aram can track the GPS on it." she said standing in the middle of the room.

 _"He has Tanida."_ Lizzie tells her.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed turning and leaving the apartment, making sure to lock it on her way out.

 _"Aram says that the GPS has been deactivated."_

"He's off grid." she mutters as she gets into the passenger seat of the car. "Wait...where was he taking Audrey?"

 _"I don't know….Cooper, do you know where Ressler was going with Audrey. His phone is at the apartment and his GPS is offline."_ she could hear Lizzie talking to Cooper over the line. _"Kitty head to Prince George's county. Ressler has a place there. Aram is looking for an address. We'll meet you there."_ Lizzie tells her.

"Prince George's county. Step on it." she told Colossus as he turned the car on.

* * *

 **Ressler**

Slowly, he opened his eyes. He felt as if the world was tilted. He groaned softly at how bright everything seemed to be and realized that the world wasn't tilted, the car was. Shaking his head slightly to stop the ringing, he looks over at the driver side to see the door hanging open. Bobby had run, leaving him with a cuffed and unconscious Tanida.

Quickly, he climbed out of the car.

Looking around he noticed a trail that led from the car, he un-holstered his gun and slowly followed, making sure to make very little noise.

He found Bobby leaning against a fallen tree, clutching his arm which was hangin at a weird angle.

"Don't move, brother. Don't even breathe." he said through clenched teeth as he aimed his gun at Bobby's head.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"STOP!" she exclaims seeing a car on the side of the road overturned.

Quickly she speed dials Lizzie.

Colossus looks inside.

"Tanida." Colossus says. "Outcold."

 _"Kitty?"_

"We just found the car overturned. Cap and Bobby aren't here. We're going to start searching." she says quickly.

 _"Alright. We are minutes behind you. Stay in contact."_

"Let's go." she says hanging up.

* * *

 **Ressler**

"What are you doing, Donny? Come on." Bobby pleaded as he leaned against the fallen tree. "Doesn't have to be like this. You gotta understand me, Donny. I'm chasing scumbags all around the world, making millions of dollars. Come on, Donny. This is me. What are you telling me...the boy scout's gonna kill his best friend?"

"Best friend." he growled, keeping his gun on Bobby. "A few months ago, I was in this hospital. I'd been shot. I woke up to Audrey in my room. I had been thinking about Audrey, you know. When I was shot. And there she was. I thought the universe had given me a gift...but it hadn't. The only reason she was there was because of Kitty. Kitty had payed attention when Reddington asked about Audrey. I can tell you this because you're gonna die. I work with Reddington. Believe it or not, I was shot protecting him and Kitty. It's because of him that I'm still alive. He saved my life. It's because of Reddington and Kitty that Audrey came back into my life. They are the reason why I got more time and a second chance with her." he swallows hard. "And because of you, she's gone. My greatest enemy brought her back into my life and my best friend took her out of it!" he screamed.

Bobby shook his head desperately. "No, no. Donny, you're wrong. I didn't kill Audrey. Tanida did." He took a step towards Bobby, his finger moving incrementally closer to the trigger.

"Don't!" Bobby cried.

"No, you brought this down on us, on Pete and on Sam. You're gonna do the honorable thing." he reached behind him and threw down the a Tanto. The same kind weapon that Tanida forced Raimo to gut himself with at Bobby. "Or I'll kill you myself."

"Cap?" a voice calls out.

He hears the crunching of snow and twigs behind him.

"Pick it up." he orders Bobby ignoring the person behind him.

"That's crazy. I'm not gonna do this. What are you crazy?" Bobby questioned, aghast.

"Pick it up!" he shouted.

"I'm not gonna do it, Donny! You're gonna have to shoot me first! Come on! What are you, crazy?!"

"Captain...what are you doing?" Kitty asks coming up beside him.

"They're all dead, Kitten. Audrey's gone." he said, emotionless.

He hears more crunching and out of the corner of his eye, he notices Liz and Meera.

Liz and Meera both have their guns trained on him.

"Don...This isn't the way." Kitty says softly.

He shakes his head, not taking his eyes off Bobby but feels her place a hand on his arm.

"If you let him win..you'll never come back from it." Kitty says softly.

"Ressler..please listen to her." Liz calls out.

He can tell that her hold on her gun is shaking.

"Do it, Donny. Do it. Go ahead, Donny. Donny, pull the trigger." Bobby suddenly began to goad him.

"Don't listen to him." Kitty ordered. "He's not here. It's just you and me."

"You know what they'll do to me in prison, Donny. A dirty cop. I can't do that, Donny." Bobby cries out.

He clenches his jaw and points his gun at the blade in the ground before having it return to Bobby.

"Put down the gun, Ressler!" Liz yells.

"Come on. Pull the trigger." Bobby pleaded.

He opens his mouth to scream at Bobby when Kitty moves in front of him.

"What are you doing? Move." he yells at her.

"NO! I am not going to let you throw your life away on a woman that was cheating on you!" Kitty yells before covering her mouth and her eyes go wide with fear.

His arm drops.

"Come on, Donny. You know she's lying so you don't pull the trigger." Bobby says but his voice sounds echoed. "Pull the trigger, Donny."

"She's telling the truth Ress...Audrey's ex admitted that they were seeing each other again." Liz says as she lowers her gun.

"They're lying! She's dead because of me, Donny! Do it! Pick up the gun and pull the trigger!" Bobby yells.

Breathing hard and shaking his head, he raises the gun and empties the mag in the tree trunk right next beside Bobby.

"I'm sorry…" Kitty whispers moving close.

He stared at his ex-Partner despondently as Liz walked over to them, gently prying the gun out of his hand.

"Donny, come on. Donny I'm sorry, Donny. Donny."

Kitty maneuvered so that his back was on Bobby, walking them away from him as Liz and Meera were heading toward his ex-partner.

He turned quickly on his own at the sound of Bobby unsheathing the blade and watched as the man plunged the blade into his own stomach, falling to the ground.

* * *

He and Kitty walked back to the road in silence. He knew without turning that Liz was right behind them with the watch dogs not that far behind.

When they reached the overturned vehicle, he climbed in. Only to find the handcuffs lying on the floor, he threw them angrily into the trunk and climbed back out.

He stood outside of the SUV as agents hosed it down with fire extinguishers, his hands on his hips as he breathed heavily.

"Cap…" Kitty said softly, walking up to him and laying her hand on his arm. He shrugged her hand away and took a few steps away, running his hands along his scalp, causing his hair to go in every direction.

"Ressler." Liz said sharply coming to stand next to Kitty.

At her tone, he turned to face the two of them, only to let out a small "oomph" as Kitty collided with him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

For a moment, he just stood there, letting her cling to him. Liz came over and placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing softly.

Slowly, his arms wrapped around Kitty's waist, pulling her closer as Liz wrapped her arms around both of them. He lowered his head on top of Kitty's as he took a shuddering breath.

"It's going to be alright, Don. I promise." Liz murmured as the tears started to fall.

* * *

 **Red**

"The cowboy, have you found him?" he asks quietly as he feels Dembe's presence at his back, in the row behind them.

"No." Dembe's voice rumbled softly.

"What about the girl or Keen?"

"Nothing. All of them are gone." Dembe replied.

He shook his head with worry. He suspected that Keen had something to do with this but had nothing to prove it with. He smiled when he heard the doors to the theater open and shut. Turning, he held out his hand as Lizzie got closer to him.

Smiling, she sat down next to him and kisses him softly on the lips.

He helped her remove her jacket, letting it hang on the seat next to her. She entwined their finger together as they held hands.

Just as she was going to ask why they were here, the music began to play and the curtains opened.

He immediately became focused on the performance as the dancers performed the choreography for Swan Lake.

Lizzie looked down and noticed the brochure in his hands. He didn't stop her from taking it.

"Raymond…." she whispers leaning against him.

He knew that seeing his daughter's name and the date on the brochure told her everything.

He looked at her, smiling through the tears.

"I love you." she whispers.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She knocked on the door, unsure about what to say to him.

"Kitty...what are you doing here?" Cap asks once he opens the door.

"Hungry?" she asks showing him the bag of Thai food.

He scoffs and nods moving out of the way so she can enter.

Looking around she notices that Audrey's stuff is packed up.

"Her parents are coming in the morning for that. Most of her stuff was still at her apartment, seems she put down money for at least three more months." Cap says as she places the food on the low coffee table.

She just nods not sure what to say.

"Do you know how long she and Tassels were seeing each other?" he asks sitting down on the couch, ignoring the food in front of him.

She bite her lip debating what to tell him. Taking a deep breath she sits down, "At least a couple of weeks."

He scoffs, "I knew."

"What?" she asks confused.

"She had been pulling away since I asked her to move in. I tried to rush things, go back as if we hadn't separated. I fucked up.." he says the last part softly running his finger through his hair.

She placed her hand on his knee. "In my heart, I want to think that she would have told him that it was over. She would have chosen you."

He just shakes his head and leans back.

She notices a box on the kitchen table.

"What's that?"

"Tanida's head." he states.

"What?"

"A gift. From Reddington."

She just bites her lip.

"That was my reaction."

"You know what...I'm suddenly not hungry." she says looking at the bag of food.

He smirks lightly.

She leans back on the couch, takes the beer from his hand and takes a sip.

"Thanks…" he says softly.

"For what?"

"Not asking how I was feeling."

She smiles and leans her head on his shoulder as the sound of rain starts to hit the window.


	16. Ivan

**A/N I am sorry that it took so long :( Keeping the hope alive on the imposer theory :)**

 _Okay I need to give credit where it is due. **Ravenlight Dragon** \- amazing author has some great Bella/Jasper and Hermione/Draco that need to be read. She created Pinterest pages for her stories and the idea kinda stuck. I am going to be making boards for some of my stories. mostly ideas or things of that nature to go with them. Maybe even a new story, I'll post the link here and in the stories once I have them up._

* * *

 **Lizzie & Red**

She leaned back against him, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her as he rubs the slight bump that seemed to appear overnight.

"How did your check up go?" he asks smiling as he dropped a kiss on her neck.

"Everything is right on schedule. My weight is right on target for fourteen weeks. We might be able to see what we are having in few weeks at the ultrasound." she said resting her hand on top of his underneath the water.

"Do have any idea how hard it is not to announce to the world that you're carrying my baby?" he asks only slightly seriously.

She bites her lip and turns slightly, catching his mouth in a kiss before sighing, "As hard as it is for me not to do the same."

He moves his hand up the front of her body to her neck to angle her head better before slowly starting to kiss her.

She whimpers against his mouth as she starts to turn in the tub to straddle him.

A knock on the bathroom door stops her movement.

"Guys...I'm really sorry but..Mr. Kaplan is on the phone for Red." Kitty's voice calls from behind the door.

"Tell her I'll call her back." he growls out trying to get Lizzie to move in his lap.

Kitty laughs, "She said that she is not going to sit outside all morning waiting for you to call her back. She's found them."

Lizzie leans back her eyes wide. "The Cowboy?" she whispers.

"Dammit...give me a minute." he calls out reluctantly moving away from her.

* * *

An hour later, the two of them are walking down a wooded path, with Dembe and Baz right behind them. Kitty had stayed at the house with a few watchdogs.

She notices Mr. Kaplan first.

"Morning Kate." she calls out as Red greets the woman with a hug and a smile.

"Boys..Lizzie." Kaplan says with a soft smile.

"What is this? It feels amazing." Red asks feeling the fabric of Kaplan's jacket.

"Vicuña, one hundred percent." Kaplan says.

"How do I get one?" he asks.

"You don't." Kaplan says with a knowing smile. "However if you are a good boy maybe Santa will bring you one."

He smirks and looks at the open hole. "What do we have here?"

Kaplan nods for him to look as Lizzie comes over to stand beside them.

"Lizzie..I wouldn't." Kaplan says stopping her from getting to close.

He's glad.

The Cowboy and 'Lucy' are wrapped in plastic but he can smell the decay.

"You ability to find crime scenes never ceases to amaze me." he says.

"How long?" Lizzie asks covering her nose as the wind moves in their direction.

"At least two weeks, give or take a few days." Kaplan tells them as she hands Lizzie a cloth to cover her mouth and nose as the wind picks up. "The girl died of strangulation. The male, a gunshot, close range. I would need to do a field autopsy if you want ballistics."

"I already have a feeling we know whodunit." he states looking back at the others.

Kaplan nods in understanding.

"My dear Mr. Kaplan, I don't want any indication that we ever set foot here. Could you please put it back the way you found it?" he asks looking at the woman.

"Of course, dearie." Kaplan told him.

"What are you thinking?" she asks trying not to breathe too deep.

"I'll tell you at home." he says coming over to her and pulling her away from the grave site.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She is trying to access the phone logs of the sim card that Lizzie gave her after letting her know that 'Jolene' and the Cowboy were dead.

"You know we could give that to Aram." Lizzie says sitting down next to her at the table.

"No." Red said.

"Why not?" Lizzie asks as Dembe place a glass of juice on the table. Lizzie gives him a small smile before taking a sip

"I think it would be better to keep this to as few as possible." Red states.

"Alright, what are we going to do? Tom is going to get away with this." Lizzie states.

"Dembe, may I borrow your phone?" Red asks.

Dembe nods and hands over the phone.

"What are you doing?" she and Lizzie ask confused.

"Reporting a missing person." Red says with a smirk.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She is walking down the stairs after finishing putting all the paperwork from the kitchen wall in the empty bedroom upstairs when she hears a knock at the door. She and Kitty decided to move it the an empty room at the gym later.

"I got it." she calls out knowing that Kitty is doing laundry downstairs and the boys had left earlier.

"Ms. Scott?" a older man asks.

"One of them." she says opening the door slowly to be safe.

"Detective Debarros with Metro. Do you have a moment to talk about a Jolene Parker?" the man asks showing his badge.

"Lizzie?" Kitty asks stepping into the room behind her, holding a laundry basket.

"Come in." she says moving out of the way so the man can come in. She nods at Kitty, so she knows to do what was planned.

Debarros follows the two of them into the living room. It's clear that only two women are living there by the clothes in the basket and things around the room. The dog in the room growls when he nears the couch.

"What's this about?" Kitty asks placing the basket on the floor near the archway. Making sure to pet Hudson as she passes him.

"A friend of Miss Parker's called in a missing person report. According to the friend, Miss Parker had been trying to get in contact with a Tom Keen, who I understand is your ex husband." Debarros says reading from his notebook.

"I spoke with her a while ago. She was upset and worried, she thought she was pregnant." Kitty told him sitting on the arm of the chair across from the couch.

"I never spoke to her. Tom and I divorced months ago, last I knew he had left his job without notice." she said sitting down in the chair.

"Were you aware of your ex's involvement with Miss Parker?" Debarros asks delicately.

"Not until my sister told me about Jolene coming here. Seems he broke in and used the house while Kitty and I were away for a weekend."

"You have proof he broke in?" Debarros asks.

"Jolene told me that they used the house and she came here looking for him even though he hadn't lived her for a while." Kitty told him.

Debarros nods and writes that down.

"My ex wasn't as faithful as he tried to make himself out to be. I found out after the fact that there was a woman named Gina during our marriage." she says.

"Do you know how to get in contact with Mr. Keen?" Debarros asks writing things down.

"His phone isn't in service since I stopped paying the bill." she told him honestly.

Debarros nods and makes some more notes before standing.

"I'm sorry for disrupting your morning." Debarros apologizes.

"No problem, if there's anything we can do, don't hesitate to ask." she says with a sincere smile.

"I appreciate that. My, uh, number. If you hear from her or anything comes up." Debarros says holding out a card.  
Kitty takes it.

* * *

 **Red**

He looked up as she walked into the room. He didn't stop what he was working on, he hoped that she liked the surprise.

"You're late." he says with a smirk.

"I would have been here earlier but Kitty and I had a visitor." she said sitting down on the couch in the workroom.

"Really? Anyone I know?" he asks watching her.

"Only if you know the detectives in Metro by name." she says with a smile.

"Hmmm, it go okay?" he asks standing up from the workbench and moving over to stand in front of her.

"As planned. Kitty and I played our roles perfectly." she says reaching out and taking a hold of his hand. He leans down and kisses her softly.

"What's all that?" she asks motioning to the workbench.

"Just a little restoration." he tells her smiling.

"Should I be nervous?" she asks, shaking her head in a silent laugh.

"Unfortunately, but not about this." he says leaning over and grabbing the paper behind her.

"What is this?" she asks looking at the front page.

"A car accident." he tells her sitting down. "The driver, Nathan Platt was killed on impact."

"Ok...why am I looking at this?" she asks, slightly confused.

He smirks slightly, "It wasn't an accident. The crash was engineered by a notorious cyber criminal known as Ivan."

She doesn't bother to hide that she rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him. "How are you so sure that it is him?"

He tried not to show his distaste for her disbelief of his skills, "I've had some experience with the man."

"How?" she asks, scrunching her nose in confusion.

He sighs, "He stole from me. While his brother and I spent a delightful evening sharing stories, Ivan had his hand in my wallet."

"You and I both know that I can't use my job to settle your grudges...Cooper is going to need more than your gut to prove that Ivan was involved." she says leaning against him.

He sighs hating that she is correct, "How about a confession? Ivan took credit for the hit on the dark web. I'm sure Kitty and Aram will find it easily."

She bit her lip, "Why would he run some guy off the road?"

"That is for you to find out."

"What's his angle?" she asks.

"Ivan has had a very long career at not getting his hands dirty with his technological skills, selling Russian government secrets, disrupting Siberian pipelines. This is the first time that he has struck on US soil."

"That worries you." she states.

"It should have all of us concerned, because whatever he has planned...this is only the beginning."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

Kitty hands her a file.

"What's this?" she asks opening it and begins looking through.

"Everything about the crash victim." Kitty states as Aram, Cooper and Ressler join the two of them.

"Nathan Gregory Platt, age forty-three, employed at Roys TV Repair since '09. No wife, no kids." she reads outloud.

"Also no affiliation with any government agencies or connections to Russian business interests. According to Ivan's usual MO. This doesn't fit." Kitty says.

"If I can get a look at the car's ECU, I should be able to confirm or deny if is was electronically manipulated." Aram says looking at the file with Kitty. "I can show you how."

Cooper nods, "Ressler, Scott, go with them."

* * *

 **Ressler**

He watches as the junk yard attendant points out the wrecked car.

Aram and Kitty go right to it, talking softly about whatever he is teaching her.

"Hey." Liz says coming over to him.

He nods at her.

"We missed you last night." Liz states.

"Huh?" he asks confused.

"Kitty and I thought that you were joining us for supper. Dembe made this amazing dish, you would have liked it." Liz says looking at him closely.

"I...um…" he stutters trying to think.

Kitty had invited him over and he had completely forgotten about it.

"I get it. Just remember that you have friends that worry about you." Liz says softly stepping away from him.

He takes a deep breath before joining them.

"It was tampered with." Kitty says looking at him and Liz.

"How can you tell?" he asks completely confused.

"The airbag deployed before the crash, not after." Aram told them. "Also there's a message left behind for someone to find."

"What is it?" Liz asks.

Aram moves the computer so he and Liz can see what he and Kitty are seeing.

Liz looks at the two of them, completely lost.

"Please translate for the pregnancy brain." Liz snarks.

Kitty giggles and he tries not to laugh.

"It's binary. It spells out 'Ivan'. It's his signature." Aram states trying to hide a smile.

He shakes his head and watches as Kitty pulls something out of the car.

"What's that?" he asks moving to stand next to her.

"It looks like a case with some sort of shielding and a tracking system." Kitty says handing it to Aram.

"She's right." Aram states.

"That's not something you would find at a TV repair shop." Liz states.

"Could the victim been moonlighting?" he asks.

"We should get it to the lab. The computer forensics might be able to tell us more." Liz says as Kitty and Aram start packing up the few things they used to find Ivan's signature.

They are almost ready to head back to the car when two SUVs pull onto the lot and a suit jumps out.

"Step away from the car! Now!" the suit exclaims as others get out, guns drawn.

* * *

A short amount of time passes as they wait.

Cooper gets out of his car, clearly annoyed.

"This area is restricted."

A suit says, holding up a hand to block Cooper from joining them.

"Not to me." Cooper states.

"And who are you?" the suit says.

"Assistant Director Harold Cooper. Now, who the hell are you?" Cooper pretty much growls at the man.

"Agent Galarza, NSA Special Projects."

Cooper just glares at him.

"Your people have a piece of stolen tech in their possession." Galarza states.

"Everyone okay?" Cooper asks as he looks over at the group.

Kitty and Liz nod.

"We don't have anything but an empty case." he tells Cooper ignoring the slight glare from Galarza.

"Whatever was in here, had to have been taken from the crash site." Aram states.

"What kind of tech are we talking about here?" Cooper asks.

Galarza scoffs, "Unless you have TS/SCI Vigil Clearance, I'm not at liberty to say."

"That's a bloody long clearance." Kitty whispers to him.

He nods in agreement.

"Why is a FBI task force interested in a car accident?" Galarza asks.

He hides a smirk as Cooper rounds on the man.

"Agent Galarza, you and I both know that this wasn't a simple car accident. Let's start over shall we, I have information on who killed your man if you want that information you are going to tell me what was taken. You can do that or we wait around while I get a warrant. By that time, you could already be down another man." Cooper states looking at Galarza as if he was ordering coffee.

Galarza nods, "Nathan Platt was one of ours. A tailored access operations technician."

He scrunches his forehead in confusion.

"Which means what?" Liz asks.

 _At least I'm not the only one clueless here._

"He didn't repair TVs." Aram and Kitty state sharing a look.

"What was Platt working on?" Cooper asks.

Galarza nods and leads them towards the vehicles.

They follow him to Platt's workplace.

"This is what he was working on." Galarza says after inputting a code on a hidden door. "Project Skeleton Key. This is David Fisher, he is our lead engineer. He'll brief you on the details." Galarza says as an older man joins them.

Fisher nods, "Wish this was a different reason to be introduced."

"What is Skeleton Key?" Cooper asks.

Kitty and Aram look nervous as they look around the room.

"Skeleton Key is the culmination of over five years of R&D in state of the art cyber warfare. It is designed to deliver a knockout blow to enemy infrastructure during wartime. Defense grids, weapon systems, communications...Skeleton can cut through the world's most secure networks with the push of a button." Fiser tell us.

"Our suspect has that in his possession?" Liz asks.

"You've pretty much given a kid free fucking range in candy store!" Kitty exclaims.

Aram places a hand on her shoulder.

Cooper nods in agreement.

"Unfortunately, that is pretty accurate. But it's only a prototype. We just finished it last week. We were in the process of being relocated to Colorado for testing."

"Lizzie...with…." Kitty stutters.

"I know." Liz says softly.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She reentered his workroom and sat down on the couch, watching him work on whatever is was playing with. Curiosity was starting to get the best of her.

"Stay there...it's a surprise." Red said with a smirk. He must have noticed her starting to stand.

Kitty came in and handed him a file.

Red stopped what he was doing to take it from her and started looking through it.

Kitty sat down next to her.

"So...the government has armed a cyber terrorist with pretty much a digital nuclear warhead." Red states looking up from the file.

"Kid in a candy store." Kitty muttered.

"Just another reason why I refuse to pay taxes." he muttered.

She and Kitty rolled their eyes.

"Ressler and Meera are working with the state to try to get cooperation from Russia but getting it and finding Ivan are two separate problems." she stated resting her hand on her bump.

Red looked up, his eyes softening. "Minsk, Belarus."

"What about Minsk?" Kitty asks confused.

"It's where Ivan is." he states.

She laughed humorlessly, "And how long have you known this?"

Red had the smarts to look down sheepishly, "The entire time."

"You are so lucky that I love you. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she exclaims standing up.

Kitty just watches the two of them with a smile.

He chuckled before leaning away from his project, "The FBI teaches you such wrong ways to go about things. My Queen, you don't swoop in and arrest a man like Ivan. Do you know what he will tell you once you have him in custody? Nothing."

"Why do I have a feeling that you have a better idea?" Kitty asks with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes, feeling the same.

He smirked, "The only way to get what you want from Ivan is to get him to want to share it. Not because he has to, he needs to."

"How do I make that happen?" she asks a little intrigued by the idea.

"We create a problem for him and then solve it. And to do that, we'll need to take a field trip." he told her, flicking his finger against the small centerpiece of the mechanism he'd just put together, causing it to spin quickly around the pole holding it in place.

* * *

 **Red**

 **Minsk, Belarus**

He maneuvered through the restaurant until he was standing at Ivan's table.

Ivan ignores him, typing away on his computer.

He sits down, tired of being ignored. "My card." he says placing the 'WANTED' posting on the table.

Ivan barely glances at it.

"Ah...perhaps you don't recognize the face...allow me to refresh your memory. Grand Cayman Bank…." rattles off his account number.

He tilts his head as he notices Ivan's interest.

"It held approximately five million, and then, suddenly, it didn't. It was a clever hack. Kudos and all that. But I'm here to collect….with interest."

"Sorry friend. I have no idea what you are talking about." Ivan says collecting his stuff as if preparing to leave.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you." he states watching Ivan with a sardonic smile.

"Is that a threat?" Ivan growls, clutching his computer.

He gives a humorless laugh as he phone lets him know that he had a text, "Yes. Not from me though. Seems you've stirred up a hornet's nest, Ivan. Murdering that NSA troll got FBI talking to the FSB. You really should have watched out for those stingers. There is an arrest warrant out for you. My informant has told me that they are enroute right now." he says looking at his phone, trying not to smile at the photo of Lizzie that Kitty had sent him.

Ivan cleary rolls his eyes not believing a word that is said. "Sure, they are."

He puts his phone back into his pocket. "The point, I can secure safe travel out of the country for you...for a price." he says the last bit with a smirk.

"Let me guess...five million plus interest. I'll pass." Ivan finishes collecting his stuff and moves to head to the front of the restaurant to leave.

The two of them notice the police cars pulling up right in front of the building.

"That's my cue. Good luck, comrade." he says pulling his fedora down a little to cover his face as he stands.

"I accept!" Ivan says quickly turning back to him. "I accept your generous offer." Ivan finishes coming to stand next to him.

"I had a feeling you would change you mind, shall we?" he leads him through the back.

Stopping in the kitchen he hands Ivan a piece of paper with an account on it.

"Eight million. Transfer to this account."

"Really?! Now?!" Ivan asks exasperated.

"Yes." he says with a smile and tilt of the head.

"Fine." Ivan scoffs placing the paper and his computer onto the serving station. Punches a few keys and shows that the transfer has taken place.

"Excellent." he leads Ivan through the back where Dembe is waiting with the car.

"STOP! IVAN!" Ressler's voice calls out.

He all but pushes Ivan into the car and takes couple shots at Ressler. He hides his smile as Ressler falls to the ground, blood showing on his shirt.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He waits until he hears the tires screech away and Meera's shoes start clicking towards him before he sits up.

"Think he bought it?" he asks brushing himself off as he stands.

"I did." Meera says, her eyes right on the small blobs of blood on his shirt.

* * *

 **Kitty**

"How's it going?" Lizzie asks coming to stand next to her in their work room in the gym. Liz had finished re doing their board for Tom.

"I'm in." she says as she finally gets into Jolene's phone logs.

"You did it?!" Lizzie exclaims getting Baz's attention.

"What going on ladies?" Baz asks.

"Kitty got into the phone logs." Lizzie says pride clear in her voice.

"She didn't make a lot of calls but we have access to the phone numbers." she tells him.

"Send the numbers to Kaplan." Baz tells her.

"What about her last call? There isn't a number but I have the location where she made it from." she says turning to look at him.

"If it was her last call...that could either be her safe house or where she was killed." Lizzie says.

Baz holds out his hand. "You two stay here, I'll send a team."

She nods and quickly writes the address down.

* * *

 **Red**

In the plane, he leans back, watching Ivan.

"So, tell me...what are your intentions? There are three reason that you would take the Skeleton Key. One, some dastardly deed you have planned. Two, something someone else has planned. Three, you have a buyer lined up with no idea what the have planned. So I'm curious, which one is it and what's your price?"

Ivan refuses to look at him, "I haven't...I haven't given it much thought."

"You don't have a clue what I am talking about do you?" he asks watching Ivan's unspoken clues.

"The hack...it wasn't me." Ivan admitted.

"Do you know who it was?" he asks.

Ivan scoffs, "No...and he's using my name. My contempt is not for the US. It has always been for Russia."

"If you didn't do it, who did?" he asks.

"They are very good at covering their tracks. I have not been able to ID them."

He thinks for a moment, "Perhaps I could be of assistance."

* * *

 **Ressler**

 **A Few Days Later**

He looks up as Aram and Kitty join him in the office.

"Where's Liz?" he asks looking at Kitty.

"She had to take care of something for Red." Kitty says not meeting his eyes.

"Where are we on the information that Ivan supplied?" Cooper asks as he and Meera come in.

"This mystery hacker showed up about three or so months ago." Aram says opening the folder that he is carrying.

"We were able to link his profile to a recent attack on an encrypted defense network coordinating special-access programs." Kitty states.

"That would give him intel on black-budget projects. The information alone would be worth millions." Cooper says.

"That could be how he found out about the Skeleton Key in the first place." Kitty says with Aram nodding his head in agreement.

"He also hacked himself access to pay-porn sites and a pile of 'Mythcrash' gift cards. It doesn't sound like much but it is hard to get into." Aram states.

"Looks like he even breached the Social Security Administration to raise benefit payments for someone." he says reading over Kitty shoulder.

"Who?" Cooper asks.

* * *

He and Meera go the woman and find out that she has a grandson that does all the computer things for her.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

"Was anyone here?" she asks looking around the empty room.

Baz's team had raided the location that Jolene had last used her phone. Kaplan's team was enroute and Baz was giving her a quick walkthrough before they got there.

"No." Baz says showing her to the small alcove where a oil drum filled with half burned photos of her, Kitty, Red, Dembe and the others.

"Don't worry dearie, I will have this figured out soon. We will know exactly who was using this space by the end of the day." Kaplan says revealing herself.

Baz nods at Kaplan.

"I am going to leave an anonymous tip for that detective tomorrow morning. I believe that the young woman in question and the Cowboy were killed right there." Kaplan says nodding to an area in the room.

Her ringing phone helps her keep the nausea down.

"Scott." she says roughly trying not to throw up.

 _"We got a lead on the suspect. I'm heading to Lake Hill High School."_ Ressler says instantly.

"A high school?" she questions.

 _"Yeah...we're looking for a student."_

"I'll meet you there." she says looking at Baz, who nods.

"Where to?" Baz asks leading her out of the room.

"Lake Hill High School. Our hacker is a student." she tells him, shaking her head.

* * *

 **Ressler**

He pulls into a parking spot as Liz and her bodyguard, Baz pull in behind him.

"What's the kid's name?" Liz asks.

"Harrison Lee." he tells her and shows the school photo that Aram had printed off, as they walk through the door and slowly make their way to the office, thinking it might be better to call the kid to the there.

Just as they reach the office a fire alarm starts going off.

"Shit." he mutters.

He hears Baz mutter something in a language he doesn't recognize.

"Please proceed to the closest emergency exit." a voice over the intercom repeats.

The three of them rush into the crowd of students trying to leave, hoping they can get the kid.

* * *

 **Red**

Kitty is sitting on the couch in Red's workroom, getting pissed at the laptop in her lap.

"Who the fuck is this kid?" Kitty mutters.

"You've heard." Liz remarks entering the room.

"Out of curiosity, how exactly did a seventeen year old slip through your fingers?" he asks looking up at her.

"Looks like he hacked the school's security system and cued up the automated evac protocols. He's smart but pissing me off." Kitty says with a small glare.

"You and Aram." Liz says with a soft smile.

"So I shouldn't offer him a job once you catch him?" he asks with a smirk.

Kitty turns her glare onto him.

"Not if you like sleeping in bed with me." Liz says.

"Good point." he says. "Can you hand me that?" he motions to one of the parts on the workbench.

Liz picks it up and gives it to him with a soft kiss on his lips after.

"You going to tell me what this is?" Liz asks.

"It's a surprise." he tells her.

Kitty picks up the laptop and leaves the room, mutter to herself as she goes.

"How is it going?" he asks.

"Everything seems to be under control, forensics is processing his house, computer..the works." Liz says leaning against the workbench.

"I see..not that I mind but what brought upon this visit?" he asks.

"The warehouse...was anything found?"

"I was correct. Tom killed the girl and the Cowboy. Kaplan found proof that the unit belonged to Tom...or at least one of his aliases." he said placing the tools on the bench to hold her hands in his.

Liz scoffs softly, "I want to be shocked but I'm not. Lucy or Jolene...might not have been innocent but she didn't deserve to die. The Cowboy…"

"I know." he says pulling her into his arms.

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She walks towards Aram's desk, clear headed after spending some time with Red.

"How's it going?" she asks Aram and Kitty.

"Keep this kid away from me, I might strangle him." Kitty mutters.

"Harris has been using some serious layers of encryption but we were able to find a hidden folder." Aram says showing her what looked like webcam photos of a young girl on the main screen.

"Who is she?" Cooper asks as he, Meera and Ressler join the three of them.

"Abby Fisher." Kitty says.

"Any relation to?" she asks.

"That is the daughter of David Fisher, lead engineer of the skeleton project." Kitty says looking at her with slight worry.

"She's enrolled in the same school as Harrison. All these photos look like they were taken from a webcam." Aram states.

"It gets worse." Kitty says as she starts tapping her foot.

Ressler places his hands on Kitty's shoulders as he looks over her shoulder at her computer screen.

"He got into her computer, watching her." Aram states.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, is there anything else?" she asks.

Kitty nods, "He hacked into her cell, giving him access to her email, text. Hell, he even got into her music collection. He actually has a hidden file logging her every move. He's stalking her."

"Get David on the phone!" Cooper yells.

Kitty already had a phone dialing.

"Mr. Fisher, this is Kitty Scott, we met a few days ago. My agents need to talk to your daughter." Kitty says.

 _"I don't understand?"_ Fisher says.

"My. Fisher, does she know a young man named Harrison…." she starts to ask.

The power cuts out.

"What happened?" Ressler asks looking around.

"I don't know." Aram says grabbing his tablet, which is luckily still on. "This doesn't make any sense. All of DC is dark."

"He activated the Skeleton Key." she breathes out with a small amount of fear in her voice.

* * *

 **Kitty**

She paces in front of Red as he works on whatever he has been playing with for the last few days. She had left the Post Office when it became clear that Harris had somehow tricked Abby Fisher out of her house. Aram was tracking both of the teens.

Lizzie had gone with Ressler and Meera to get them.

"She's fine." Red states.

"I know...I couldn't sit there waiting." she says turning to face him.

"Are you worried about Lizzie or the girl?" Red asks.

"Torn. I'm worried about Lizzie and the baby, I know she won't do anything stupid but what's to stop that little bastard from accidentally hurting her. At the same time, I'm worried him getting his hands on Abby. She has no idea that he has been stalking her."

"Kitty." Red says softly leaning away from his workbench.

"I'm scared...I knew that Tom was wrong but he murdered two people…."

"Kitty," Red says moving around the table to rest his hands on her arms. "Being scared is a normal reaction."

"You're not. Lizzie's not." she says trying not to cry.

"I am scared. I'm scared that I will once again lose my family."

* * *

 **Lizzie**

She as Abby reunites with her dad.

Ressler watches their tearful reunion as he comes over to stand next to her.

"You know that was a stupid move. Great work but stupid." Ressler says to her.

"I know." she says shaking her head as the fear that Harrison would cause the crash no matter what.  
"Go home." Ressler says. "We got this."

She nods, "You know if you're hungry you could meet me back at the house. Dembe's cooking tonight, so that means there will be a ton of extra food."

"Thanks but I think I'll just head home afterwards."

"The offer stands if you change your mind." she says resting a hand on his arm before turning to leave.

* * *

 **Red** **  
"Hey you." Lizzie says standing at the door of the workroom.**

He smiles seeing that she is okay.

"Come in." he says placing the finished project on a small table in front of the small sofa.

"What's this?" she asks sitting down.

"It's a nineteen forties Sorrento music box." he says opening the lid so the song can start.

"I know this song." Lizzie breaths out. "When Kitty and I were little, I use these terrible nightmares. I remembered flashes of- of fire and smoke. God, so much smoke. My dad would lay in bed with me, after grabbing Kitty since my screams usual woke her up,holding the two of us in his arms and hum that song. He'd tell me I was safe...that everything was gonna be okay."

"It's a gift." he says resting his hand on her knee.

"For the baby?" she whispers placing on hand on her bump.

He nods and holds her close, the two of them laying on the small sofa just holding each other as the song fills the room.


End file.
